Wits Institute of Data Science (WIDS)

WIDS: A world-leading interdisciplinary institute focusing on research, innovation and training in data science

WIDS seeks to be a world-leading interdisciplinary research and training institute with a focus on innovation in data science and machine intelligence. 

The field of Data Science by its very nature requires highly skilled individuals who straddle both academia and industry.  As a result of the above unique skills mix, the demand for data scientists with the requisite skills has grown exponentially, far outstripping the current supply. Globally and locally, the education system is unable to stay abreast of this demand. WIDS aims to setup various training programmes, research opportunities as well as partnerships between academia and industry, in order to produce a stream of next generation data scientists who specifically perform cutting-edge research in data science by converting data to business value for industry.

The mission of the University of the Witwatersrand is to grow its global stature as a leading research-intensive university and a gateway to research engagement and intellectual achievement in Africa. To this end “Data Science” has been identified as one of the strategic directions for institutional research. WIDS will support this strategic direction by acting as a hub to enhance and coordinate multidisciplinary data-driven research, innovation and training activities across the whole University of the Witwatersrand. 

WIDS will also contribute toward training the next generation of data scientists and data-intensive researchers.