Team Lead | Data & AI | UN OSAA

I’m a data enthusiast working at UN OSAA (United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa), based in New York.
I lead the Data Team, building tools, analytics, and AI-driven insights to support African development and global policy work.

I have dedicated my career to working with INGOs, UN agencies, peacekeeping missions, and UN Headquarters, bridging the worlds of human rights and technology.
As a Human Rights Officer with a supercharged IT background, I bring deep capacities in AI, data, and digital transformation to the frontline of global challenges.

My experience spans:

• Policy-making & research — harnessing data to inform decisions at the highest level
• Human rights monitoring & investigation — applying data-driven methods to identify vulnerabilities, support accountability, and protect communities
• Crisis response & victim targeting — leveraging analytics to reach those most in need during emergencies
• Development & peacekeeping — creating digital tools that enable resilience, inclusion, and sustainability

I specialize in data analysis, GIS mapping, visualization, AI, and app development, combining these to craft visual stories that move policy and action. Whether it’s building a pipeline that processes millions of records, developing interactive dashboards for decision-makers, or applying machine learning to complex humanitarian datasets, my mission is always clear: turn data into impact.

Beyond my professional role, I devote time to mentoring brilliant young minds, teaching application development, and supporting young entrepreneurs. Helping the next generation of leaders harness technology for good is one of the most fulfilling parts of my journey.

• Afrobarometer-Data-Explorer — interactive visual tool for Afrobarometer survey data
• osaa-smu-data-app-prod — dashboard app for OSAA’s Strategic Management Unit
• osaa-mvp — MVP data stack (DuckDB, sqlmesh) for OSAA pipelines
• OSAAReferenceData — curated master/reference data repository
• osaa-unga-analysis — AI-powered pipeline analyzing UNGA speeches, producing OSAA-aligned readouts

• Ethical AI / AI for Social Good — building models that respect fairness, transparency, and inclusion
• Data equity & governance — ensuring data is collected, curated, and used responsibly
• Open source & reproducibility — sharing tools, workflows, and insights with the community
• Visualization & storytelling — making complex insights intuitive and engaging
• Policy, development, and Africa-focused research — aligning technical work with real-world change
• Mentorship & entrepreneurship — guiding students and young founders to build impactful applications

• 📧 Email: mafi@mafizul.me
• 🌐 LinkedIn: Mafizul Islam

Let’s build things that matter. Feel free to explore my repos, raise issues, or drop me a message.