Beltus Nkwawir

Beltus Nkwawir

Using AI and data science to improve Public Health Intelligence systems and contribute to a sustainable world

Hi there,

Picture of Beltus Nkwawir

I'm Beltus Nkwawir. I work as a Research Associate and Data Scientist at the Robert Koch Institute's Center for Artificial Intelligence in Public Health Research, based in Berlin, Germany.

My work sits at the intersection of AI and public health. I design and build agentic AI systems powered by large language models that help people find critical, accurate health knowledge; faster and more reliably.

How I got here

I now live and work in Germany as a Research Associate and Data Scientist. But the road to getting here was not a straight path.

It took a meandering journey across three continents — Africa, Asia, and finally Europe.

It all began in Cameroon, where I studied Telecommunications Engineering at the University of Buea. Through that four-year degree program, I learned about information transmission and network systems. But two words — Artificial Intelligence — never crossed my radar.

In 2017, one year after completing my degree, a friend recommended I take the self-driving car course on Udacity's online platform. That single course changed the trajectory of my academic and professional life. It was the first time I encountered the Python programming language, and above all, the first time I experienced the power and potential of AI.

Something clicked. I could feel in my bones how this technology had the power to transform every facet of human experience. In that moment, I knew I had to go deeper and learn more.

That conviction, coupled with the escalating crisis in Cameroon, saw me boarding a flight to Istanbul, Türkiye in 2018, where I earned a Master's degree in Computer Science as a fully funded scholar of the Turkish Government Scholarship Programme.

During my studies, I delved deeper into AI, machine learning, and deep learning, gaining a thorough understanding of what happens under the hood of these black-box models.

Today, with nearly a decade of experience in AI and Data Science, I have had the privilege of working and collaborating with some of the world's most important institutions — including UNDP in Istanbul and the WHO Hub in Berlin — tackling real-world challenges in sustainability, public health intelligence, and global health capacity building.

And I'm not done. Alongside my work in Berlin, I'm a PhD candidate at ITU, where my research tackles two of the most pressing challenges facing modern data center infrastructure: their soaring operational costs and their significant carbon footprint.

What I write about

This site is my corner of the internet — a place where I think out loud and share what I'm learning. You'll find writing on:

  • AI, machine learning, and data science — concepts, tools, and ideas worth understanding
  • Personal growth systems — frameworks and lessons drawn from my own experiences
  • The broader world — Ideas from history, psychology, philosophy books that shape how I see things

A few more things about me

🌍 I speak English, French, and Turkish — along with two local languages, Lamnso and Pidgin. I'm currently learning German.

📚 I'm an avid reader of non-fiction — history, psychology, philosophy, science. Books are how I make sense of the world.

🎵 Born and raised in Cameroon, I carry the rhythm of African music wherever I go.

I'm glad you're here. If something you read resonates with you — or if you'd like to collaborate on a project or article — reach out on LinkedIn. I'd love to connect.

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