Welcome to the Podium - Dr. Aisha Walcott
Today we welcome our keynote speaker, Dr. Aisha Walcott. Dr. Walcott is a Senior Staff Research Scientist and co-lead of Google Research Africa, with sites in Accra, Ghana and Nairobi, Kenya. She has over a decade of experience working in Africa and leading teams to develop technologies that leverage AI and computing to address some of Africa's most pressing challenges. (see bio below)
"It's truly an honor and a privilege to be invited as a keynote speaker at MICCAI 2024,” said Dr. Walcott. "I will be highlighting the enormous opportunity for researchers and entrepreneurs to tackle complex problems with fresh perspectives. I'm also looking forward to sharing my and my colleagues' experiences working on a range of projects with great potential for impact.”
Dr. Walcott's journey as a researcher in Africa has been incredibly rewarding. She made the transition from robotics to addressing a broad range of nuanced and complex social problems. This experience has reinforced the principles of human-centered, interdisciplinary approaches in driving innovation.
Dr. Walcott will be speaking about innovation through collaboration: transforming healthcare in Africa. In her presentation, she will highlight some of the incredible research already underway across the African continent, emphasizing the value of collaboration, particularly in a context where innovation is not a choice but a necessity driven by a rapidly growing population.
"I want to bring attention to the human element in all of this,” said Dr. Walcott. "Behind every data point is a person - a friend, family member, or colleague. By approaching challenges with a human-centered problem-first mindset, and recognizing the unique context of Africa's infrastructure, scale, and diversity, we can develop truly impactful and effective solutions tailored to the continent's needs.”
"I also want to emphasize the importance of consistent community engagement, collaborative innovation, and co-creation of solutions. This collaborative relationship is essential for responsibly considering all aspects of the problem. In addition, working in the community you often come across people and organizations that describe challenges in ways that you could never imagine if you remained confined to the lab, and these insights are crucial for developing impactful solutions.”
Today we welcome our keynote speaker, Dr. Aisha Walcott. Dr. Walcott is a Senior Staff Research Scientist and co-lead of Google Research Africa, with sites in Accra, Ghana and Nairobi, Kenya. She has over a decade of experience working in Africa and leading teams to develop technologies that leverage AI and computing to address some of Africa's most pressing challenges. (see bio below). Dr. Walcott will be speaking about innovation through collaboration: transforming healthcare in Africa today at 9:30 am in the Orion Main Conference Hall. Don't miss it!
About Dr. Walcott
Aisha Walcott is a Senior Staff Research Scientist and co-lead of Google Research Africa, with sites in Accra, Ghana and Nairobi, Kenya. She has over a decade of experience working in Africa and leading teams to develop technologies that leverage AI and computing to address some of Africa's most pressing challenges. Dr. Walcott is also leading and driving Google Research Africa's food security agriculture research, where she and her team are developing AI technology and tools that address food insecurity in Africa and globally.
Prior to joining Google, Dr. Walcott was a senior technical staff member at IBM Research Africa and led projects in developing AI tools for a range of areas including global health and healthcare, water management and access, as well as mobility and transportation. Currently, she serves as the Associate Vice President for IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Robotics and Automation Society's Technical Education Program, is on the board for the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) doctorial research program in data science and was recently on the program committee for the Second US-Africa Frontiers in Science programs by the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine (NASEM). Lastly, she is the workshops co-chair for the International Conference on Learning and Representations 2024 (ICLR'24).
Dr. Walcott earned her PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT with a focus on robotics. Her work has led to several recognitions, over 35 patents and over 30 publications.
