Growing up on her family’s farm in Nigeria, Faith Akinyemi (MSc 26) learned early that harvests weren’t just about hard work—they were about uncertainty. Weather, soil, pests, and even luck all play a role, making each farming season feel like a gamble.
Agriculture has been a passion of Faith’s for as long as she can remember. While completing her undergraduate degree in computer science, Faith turned to her father, a farmer and professor, for guidance. His advice was simple, focus on a project close to home.
“I was looking for a bachelor thesis topic,” Faith recalls with a laugh. “My dad said, ‘I want you to solve one of my problems!’” Without hesitation, she replied, “Bring it on!”
For farmers, success is ultimately measured in yield. Given how many variables affect farming, Faith became interested in a key question, can we still predict crop outcomes despite all this uncertainty? Faith’s father challenged her to create a tool that could predict how much harvest a farmer might expect by the end of a season.
“My thesis in Nigeria was researching how to collect the right data and using it to predict the crop yield,” explained Faith. What began as a family conversation and desire to help at home grew into deeper research in the Applied Computer Science and Society (MSc) master’s program at UWinnipeg.
“I was just so fortunate to be able to work with a professor in an area that I deeply love; agriculture,” said Faith of her graduate experience at UWinnipeg. “I’m extremely grateful for my supervisors, Dr. Michael Beck and Dr. Christopher Bidinosti. They gave me both the independence and guidance I needed to learn and take advantage of opportunities to think outside of the box.”
Faith’s graduate research focused on pea crops grown across Manitoba. She worked with images of peas plants captured at various stages of growth. Using a machine learning model, Faith analyzed patterns within the plants’ development. By identifying these patterns, she aimed to predict crop performance, giving farmers an early indication of how successful a harvest might be.
Faith credits these mentorships, along with enriching experiences like the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, the Falling Walls Competition, and co-founding the Black Scientists Network, with helping set her up for early success. In March 2025, she competed in UWinnipeg’s 3MT competition, earning both second place and the People’s Choice Award.
“3MT was such a great experience for me,” said Faith. “I’ve always loved translating my research for the lay man or general person. But what truly made my day was when, eight months later, someone told me they still remembered my presentation.”
Community focus
Beyond her classroom, Faith has been deeply committed to community building. She co-founded the Black Scientists Network (BSN) at UWinnipeg alongside Dr. Mary Adedayo, Dr. Susan Lingle, and Dr. Keisean Stevenson. While the idea for the network existed before Faith joined the conversation, her motivation was deepened after attending the Canadian Black Scientist Network conference in Ottawa in 2024.
“When I came back, I felt refreshed and energized,” Faith recalled. “I knew I needed to help build this community at the University of Winnipeg.”
With strong faculty support, the Black Scientists Network was established and remains active today.
It is these experiences that strengthened Faith’s communication skills and gave her the confidence to grow a meaningful professional network. By July 2025, she was already thinking ahead to life after graduation.
“I’ve always known that I want to make an impact and contribute,” said Faith. “I didn’t want to wait until I finished school to start thinking about what comes next.”
Faith focused on growing her network and getting involved with community. “My colleagues say that I’m an extrovert, but I don’t really see myself that way,” Faith shared with a smile. “As an immigrant who didn’t know anyone here, I knew networking would be important.”
While completing her master’s degree, Faith actively applied for jobs, attended career fairs, and connected with her support network at UWinnipeg. It wasn’t long before Faith secured a permanent position working with the Government of Manitoba.
Today, she is a Senior Data Scientist, applying her strong analytical skills within the Advanced Education Department. While her role is no longer directly tied to agriculture, the same problem-solving and data-driven principles continue to guide her work.
“I am passionate about solving problems and creating solutions that truly help humanity and the world,” shared Faith who has big goals for the future. “I’d love to build a start-up one day!”
Her advice to students is both simple and powerful: “Always get involved. You never know where it will take you. I didn’t just go through The University of Winnipeg—I left my footprints there.”
