#AlumoftheWeek — Adeyemi Damilare Adeoye, AIMS Cameroon ‘18
As an institution, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) looks out for the best in the African youth and provides all the support need to get them to succeed in their field of interest. Beyond the Regular Master’s Program run at AIMS, there are several other opportunities at the institute that interested and highly motivated students are encouraged to enrol on. This span from internship opportunities with partner organisations to research works and specialised Masters like the African Masters in Machine Intelligence (AMMI) program, of which our Alumnus of this week is a beneficiary. After completing the MSc. Mathematical Sciences program from AIMS Cameroon in 2018, Adeyemi Damilare Adeoye was admitted into the AMMI and completed in 2021 at AIMS Rwanda. Adeyemi is currently a PhD student in Computer Science and Systems Engineering (Learning and Control track) at IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Italy. He shares his experience at AIMS and thereafter with us.
Q: Who is Adeyemi Damilare Adeoye?
Adeyemi: I am a Nigerian by birth and enjoy being a Nigerian. I will describe myself as one with a strong passion for mathematics and physics and will not stop at anything until I learn something new in these fields daily. Before joining the AIMS AMMI programme in 2019, I had obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, and a Master’s degree in Mathematical Sciences from AIMS Cameroon, where I was selected as a Mastercard Foundation scholar. Because of my love for mathematics and physics, I wanted to study engineering at the university, but I didn’t get it. Instead, I got admission to learn mathematics, and I loved it anyways. I didn’t have it all smooth, especially at the beginning, because I got admitted only a few weeks before the first-semester exam. I had to cover up by getting lists of course contents from colleagues and reading up on topics I had missed from textbooks. Still, I wasn’t discouraged from my determination to graduate with first-class honors even though my initial cumulative grade point average (CGPA) was not close to that. But eventually, I made it! I was also a beneficiary of the MTN Foundation scholarship scheme. In my final year, I together with three other students, was selected to represent my university in the National Mathematics Competition for University Students (NAMCUS), Nigeria. We came second amongst up to 24 competing universities with more than 90 students, and I also won a silver medal in the individual category. These, and more, continue to boost my confidence in doing mathematics and science, with the belief that Africans, too, may eventually use mathematics and science to approach some of the problems we face today. I am glad some people are already doing that to a great extent.
Q: You experienced both Regular Masters and AMMI. How will you describe the AIMS environment?
Adeyemi: For those of us in the mathematics department of my university then, we thought that joining AIMS was significant because many top students who graduated from our class did join AIMS. To avoid seeing it as a mere hype, I did my personal research on AIMS before applying to join the community. I realised it would be an incredible opportunity to kick-start my research journey from there, so I placed in my application. I got selected at AIMS Cameroon. The Regular Master’s program exposed me to many things in the field of mathematics, especially in engineering and artificial intelligence. This exposure was why I applied for the AMMI program when it was first launched. I was unsuccessful on my first attempt, but I trusted AIMS to give me something exceptional, so I reapplied in the second year, this time, I got into the AMMI program at AIMS Rwanda. It was an exciting opportunity to join a programme that brings the much-emphasised scientific topic of the modern day to the people of Africa in a very specialised form. Joining AIMS a second time gave me a better perspective on scientific research. I had the opportunity to meet and discuss with students from other African countries and with different academic backgrounds. We had world-class researchers and experts in the various topics teaching us and sharing their insights with us. My programming skill improved massively at AIMS, enabling me to confidently pick up scientific programming tools for my day-to-day research tasks. At AMMI, I had an extensive hands-on experience with relevant machine learning tools and frameworks during lab sessions that were closely followed up by experienced resident tutors and teaching assistants. I couldn’t have asked for a better kick-starter for my research career.
Q: What do you say about your success story after AIMS?
Adeyemi: I will say my success story has just started, and they are many more to be told soon. After AIMS AMMI I had the opportunity to intern in a research hub that gave me so much experience and lessons good enough to put in a benefiting application for a PhD opportunity in Artificial Intelligence. Currently, I am enrolled in Computer Science and Systems Engineering PhD program at IMT School for Advanced Studies in Lucca, Italy. I hope to contribute meaningfully to the AI community and experience on African soil.
Q: What will you describe as a challenge you have faced so far as a researcher, and how do you overcome it?
Adeyemi: The popular work-life balance. That is, respecting personal time without feelings of hurting work productivity. So far, I have been able to stick to hobbies and activities that keep me away from work at appropriate times, such as exercising at regular intervals of days of the week, taking refreshing walks around at strictly respected times of the day, and discussing topics outside of STEM with friends and family.
Q: Finally, what will you say to African Youth who are aspiring to be where you are?
Adeyemi: You are never limited by your background or environment; you are only limited by your attitude towards reaching a set goal. A strong will and consistency will help you to see the results that you want, and with a “you versus you” mindset, it can only get better with time.
