Reflections from the Society 5.0 Doctoral Consortium: From Technical Pipeline to Research Artifact
Image: Miehleketo Mathebula presenting his doctoral research at the Society 5.0 Doctoral Consortium.
Leading Research in Data Science for Social Impact
We bridge the gap between cutting-edge data science research and real-world societal challenges, with a special focus on African language technologies.
Our Impact Areas
Research that drives meaningful change in society
🌍 Data Science for Society
Developing methods and tools that enhance decision-making capabilities while ensuring user-centered approaches to data science research.
🗣️ African Language NLP
Advancing natural language processing for African languages through innovative tools, datasets, and methodologies.
🤖 Machine Learning Research
Developing ML approaches that address real-world challenges while considering ethical and societal implications.
Recent Research Highlights
Our latest contributions to the scientific community
Our research spans multiple domains, from developing language technologies for under-resourced African languages to creating data-driven solutions for societal challenges. We publish in top-tier venues and actively contribute to open science through our datasets, models, and tools.
Open Resources & Tools
We believe in open science and making our work accessible to all
Datasets
Curated datasets for African language research and social impact studies
Software & Models
Open-source tools and pre-trained models for researchers worldwide
Documentation
Comprehensive guides and tutorials for using our resources
Featured Projects
Masakhane Translate
Machine translation platform for African languages, making communication across language barriers more accessible.
Masakhane NLP
Grassroots organization focused on advancing NLP research and applications for African languages.
COVID-19 ZA Data
Comprehensive data repository tracking COVID-19 in South Africa, supporting research and policy decisions.
Latest News
Ideas Must Travel: How TextAugment, Community, and Collaboration Won at the "Science Oscars"
Image: Prof. Vukosi Marivate receiving the inaugural NSTF-SADiLaR Research Software Award for Human Language Technologies on stage at the NSTF-South32 Awards.
The DSFSI Lab AI Manifesto: 8 Rules for Research in an AI Era
AI tools can now draft our code, summarize our papers, and even suggest our hypotheses. That convenience comes with a quiet risk: it’s easy to outsource the thinking that makes...
DSFSI at Deep Learning IndabaX South Africa: Computational Infodemiology
This week, the DSFSI team is taking centre stage at Deep Learning IndabaX South Africa. We are thrilled to be participating in a high-impact workshop focusing on a critical frontier...
Join Our Research Community
Interested in contributing to cutting-edge research that makes a difference? We welcome collaboration and new members.