Temitope Kekere

Temitope is studying towards a PhD in Information Technology at the University of Pretoria under the supervision of Prof Marié Hattingh and Prof Vukosi Marivate. His trans-disciplinary research lies at the intersection of computing and social sciences, focused on understanding public opinion of government policies during health crises and the interplay of psychological factors during social unrest. Temitope's research aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal, SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). By applying a theoretical framework of human behaviour combined with natural language processing techniques to analyse public feedback on social media, Temitope aims to extract actionable insights that inform stakeholders in public health, urban safety, and policing.

As a member of the Data Science for Societal Impact research group, Temitope contributes to initiatives where data science serves societal needs and language modelling of African languages. Additionally, he is involved with Masakhane, a grassroots organisation that leads research in African language modelling, further contributing to SDG 4 (Quality Education) by enhancing linguistic inclusivity and accessibility. He coordinates virtual weekly meetings, driving collaboration and strategic planning to advance these goals.