Dr. Bitew’s research focuses on harnessing advanced statistical techniques and machine learning algorithms to uncover spatial and temporal patterns in malnutrition, child mortality, and health inequities. He has worked extensively with international organizations, most notably UNICEF, where he has contributed to several high-impact projects, including UNICEF-Child nutrition, UNICEF- Children’s Climate Risk Index-Disaster Risk Model (CCRI-DRM) , UNICEF-Social and Behavioral Change. These engagements have centered on developing evidence-based solutions using integrated datasets, advanced analytics, and geospatial modeling to inform policy and improve programmatic outcomes.
He currently serves as a Senior Research Data Scientist at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), where he designs predictive models, interactive dashboards, and data-driven decision-making tools to enhance institutional effectiveness and student success. His work bridges computational rigor with operational impact—translating complex data into actionable strategies.
Dr. Bitew’s academic journey reflects a commitment to interdisciplinary excellence. He holds a Ph.D. in Applied Demography from The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Master’s in Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning from the University of Texas at Austin, dual Master’s degrees in Applied Demography and Population Studies, and a Bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, from Ababa Ababa University. This unique combination of quantitative depth and domain expertise empowers him to lead high-stakes analytical initiatives across health, education, and climate resilience sectors.
A prolific scholar and practitioner, Dr. Bitew has authored more than 15 peer-reviewed publications in top journals, covering topics such as machine learning applications in demographic forecasting, child undernutrition, and student performance prediction. His GitHub repository features numerous machine learning and data visualization tools built with Python and R—many of which have been deployed in collaboration with global partners.
Above all, Dr. Bitew is driven by a passion for leveraging data science to improve lives. Through a combination of rigorous research, practical innovation, and global collaboration, he continues to push the boundaries of how data can be used to shape a more equitable and resilient world.
I'm honored to share with you my collection of peer-reviewed publications that reflect my ongoing commitment to data-driven research in demography, machine learning, public health, and spatio-temporal modeling.
My work has appeared in esteemed journals such as Genus, Public Health Nutrition, Heliyon, and Spatial Demography. These studies focus on real-world challenges—undernutrition, child mortality, reproductive health, and education outcomes—especially across underrepresented populations and low-resource settings. My research integrates traditional demographic analysis with modern machine learning techniques to provide robust, actionable insights.
I actively serve as a peer reviewer for several reputable journals, helping ensure academic rigor and the dissemination of high-quality research in data science, public health, and applied demography:
Dr. Fikrewold H. Bitew is an expert Data & Analytics Consultant with over 15 years of experience supporting global organizations—most notably UNICEF—in delivering data-driven solutions that shape policy, guide development efforts, and improve lives. His work bridges the domains of public health, climate resilience, nutrition, and behavioral change by integrating advanced analytics, machine learning, and spatial modeling.
Dr. Bitew has served as a technical lead and advisor across several high-impact UNICEF projects, including:
As a Data and Analytics Consultant for CCRI-DRM, Dr. Bitew contributes to the development and implementation of an index that measures children’s exposure and vulnerability to climate-related shocks and environmental hazards. His responsibilities include:
In his role as a Social and Behavior Change Data & Applied Research Consultant, Dr. Bitew supports UNICEF in designing evidence-based SBC programs through:
As part of the UNICEF Nutrition Team, Dr. Bitew has led data analysis initiatives that:
Dr. Bitew's consultancy work supports UNICEF's mission by transforming complex data into actionable strategies that enhance global health, climate resilience, and child well-being. From building cross-sectoral models to guiding local governments on data use, his contributions help operationalize data for decision-making at scale.
This collection represents my active engagement with the academic and professional research community through presentations at national and international conferences. These proceedings span multiple domains including institutional research, demographic analysis, public health, and data visualization, reflecting my commitment to sharing research findings and contributing to scholarly discourse across diverse platforms.
My presentations have been delivered at premier venues including the Population Association of America (PAA), Southern Association for Institutional Research (SAIR), Texas Association for Institutional Research (TAIR), and Southern Demographic Association (SDA). Each presentation represents rigorous research that addresses critical questions in demography, health outcomes, and institutional effectiveness.
My presentations in institutional research focus on innovative applications of data visualization and reporting automation tools, contributing to the advancement of evidence-based decision making in higher education settings.
Demographic and Health ResearchA significant portion of my conference presentations addresses critical public health challenges, particularly child mortality and malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa, using rigorous quantitative methodologies and large-scale demographic datasets.
Methodological ContributionsSeveral presentations demonstrate advanced statistical and spatial analysis techniques, contributing to methodological innovations in demographic research and spatial epidemiology.
International Development and PolicyMy research presentations provide evidence-based insights for policy development and intervention strategies in developing country contexts, particularly in Ethiopia and broader Sub-Saharan Africa.
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This proceedings portfolio demonstrates ongoing commitment to scholarly engagement and knowledge dissemination across multiple academic and professional communities. |
I am a data scientist and machine learning engineer passionate aboutdeveloping innovative solutions that bridge the gap between cutting-edge AI technology and real-worldapplications. My work spans across various domains including natural language processing, computervision, data analytics, and web development.
My expertise lies in building end-to-end machine learning systems, from data preprocessing and modeldevelopment to deployment and visualization. I have experience working with modern frameworks andtechnologies including Python, R, TensorFlow, PyTorch, and various cloud platforms. I particularly enjoytackling complex problems in healthcare, agriculture, and social impact domains.
An AI-powered research assistant designed to help researchers, students, and academics interact withscholarly documents. This sophisticated chatbot leverages Meta's Llama 2 model and CTransformers toextract relevant content from PDFs and provide contextually accurate answers to research-related queries.
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A comprehensive data analytics project developed for UNICEF's Data and Analytics technical evaluation, focusing on maternal health coverage disparities analysis. This project demonstrates advanced statisticalanalysis capabilities and professional data visualization skills.
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A computer vision project aimed at modernizing agriculture through automated plant classification. Thismachine learning solution helps identify different plant seedlings to reduce manual inspection work inagricultural settings.
Objectives: Develop an automated system to classify plant seedlings, addressing the urgent need formodernization in agriculture and reducing manual labor requirements. Tech Stack: Python, Jupyter Notebook, Computer Vision, Machine Learning
A comprehensive data science project that explores and visualizes used car datasets to build predictivemodels for pricing. This project demonstrates end-to-end machine learning workflow from exploratorydata analysis to model deployment.
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A machine learning project focused on predicting customer behavior in the travel industry. This projectanalyzes customer data to predict likelihood of travel package purchases, enabling better marketingstrategies and customer targeting.
Applications
A comprehensive natural language processing project that analyzes sentiment in airline customer tweets.This project uses Twitter data scraped in February 2015, containing 14,640 tweets about six major USairlines, to predict customer sentiment and identify pain points in airline services.
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A critical business analytics project for Thera Bank to predict and prevent customer churn in credit cardservices. This project addresses the bank's steep decline in credit card users by building predictive modelsto identify at-risk customers and provide actionable insights for retention strategies.
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A comprehensive educational project covering advanced time series analysis and forecasting techniquesusing machine learning models. This project demonstrates expertise in temporal data analysis, trendidentification, and predictive modeling for time-dependent datasets.
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Advanced statistical modeling project focusing on predicting malnutrition among children under 5 yearsof age. This research applies sophisticated predictive analytics to identify risk factors and patterns inchildhood malnutrition for policy intervention and healthcare planning.
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Comprehensive epidemiological study using advanced statistical techniques to predict under-5 mortalityrates. This research contributes to understanding childhood mortality patterns and supports evidence-based policy making for child survival interventions.
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Advanced geospatial analysis projects examining demographic and geographic patterns in Texas usingzip code-level data. These studies demonstrate expertise in spatial statistics, GIS analysis, and geographicinformation systems for demographic research.
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Advanced statistical modeling project applying Generalized Linear Models (GLM) to spatial count data.This research demonstrates expertise in handling complex spatial datasets and applying appropriatestatistical techniques for geographic analysis.
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Cutting-edge research in spatial econometrics and geographic analysis using spatially autoregressivemodels. These projects demonstrate advanced understanding of spatial dependencies and geographicmodeling techniques.
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Comprehensive demographic research using Ethiopia's Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data withadvanced spatial analysis techniques. This research demonstrates expertise in processing large-scale demographic datasets and applying GIS methodologies.
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Advanced survival analysis research applying Cox regression and frailty models to demographic data. Thisstudy demonstrates sophisticated statistical modeling techniques for time-to-event analysis indemographic and health research.
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Detailed demographic analysis focusing on population change and ethnic composition in major Texasmetropolitan areas. These studies utilize American Community Survey (ACS) data for comprehensivepopulation analysis.
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Critical research on women's health outcomes focusing on undernutrition patterns and determinants. Thiswork contributes to understanding gender-specific health challenges in developing countries.
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A collection of interactive web applications built with R Shiny framework. This repository demonstratesexpertise in creating dynamic, user-friendly data visualization and analysis tools for web deployment.
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An extended collection of Shiny applications demonstrating advanced interactive visualization techniquesand dashboard development. This project showcases the ability to create publication-ready interactiveapplications.
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A comprehensive collection of statistical analysis projects demonstrating expertise in applied statistics,hypothesis testing, and statistical modeling for research and business applications.
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Specialized projects focusing on demographic analysis, population studies, and social science research.This work demonstrates expertise in handling large-scale demographic datasets and conducting policy-relevant research.
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A portfolio of healthcare analytics projects focusing on public health outcomes, disease surveillance, andhealth system performance evaluation.
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Projects focused on educational outcomes research, student performance analysis, and institutionaleffectiveness studies in higher education settings.
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A collection of professional consulting projects demonstrating ability to work with diverse stakeholdersand deliver actionable insights for business and organizational decision-making.
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