Supporting the growth of black talent in data together
Leeds Institute for Data Analytics (LIDA), and its Data Scientist Development Programme (DSDP), welcomed a visit from Health Data Research UK’s Black Internship Programme (BIP), to offer potential next career steps in data science and to celebrate 4 years of working together, to increase representation in the UK data workforce.
Individuals taking part in the 2025 BIP cohort, who will be commencing their paid internship for 8 weeks in the summer, joined LIDA for the day to learn about the year-long DSDP and how the combined experience of both programmes have benefitted others, through access to opportunities working with data.
This event was not only about fostering national networking but also aimed to inspire the next cohort of BIP interns to consider applying for the DSDP, which opens its application window for the 2025-26 cohort in May. The event reflected the shared values of both programmes in building a more representative, supportive, and connected health data science community.
The BIP interns heard from past DSDP members who have moved onto job roles in tech and data. Ifeanyi Chukwu spoke of his experience and how he moved into the position of Research Software Engineer at LIDA and Favour Aghaebe, who is now working on her PhD at the University of Sheffield, shared her experience working with large language models and how to get the best out of AI.
Current data scientists on the LIDA programme also shared their experiences of coming through the Black Internship Programme. Precious-Gift Alele and Netochukwu Onyiaji shared their motivations and “Aha!” moments that led to them applying to the DSDP to work with data science for the public good.
The headline speaker was Patience Ndlovu, the Chapter Lead of Black Young Professionals - BYP Leeds. Patience covered her career to date, starting in the Royal Navy, and shared BYP's mission of helping advance the careers of black young professionals and her mentoring with Nurture Me Mentoring. One of the key takeaways from her talk was “do it afraid! If you’re afraid, then embrace it and do the thing anyway!”
There is a strong and growing connection between the BIP and the DSDP, with BIP alumni successfully progressing into the DSDP. So far, a total of 5 data scientists have progressed through the HDR UK programme into the LIDA programme.
While there is no formal partnership, this emerging link between the two programmes highlights how the skills and experiences gained during the BIP are helping to launch meaningful careers in data science. LIDA actively supports diversity and inclusion by ringfencing places for underrepresented groups on the DSDP, and the BIP plays a role in promoting the opportunity by sharing programme information with its extensive applicant pool.
Kylie Norman, LIDA Data Scientist Development Programme Manager said, “This event was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate 4 years of cross-promotion, learning and networking between HDR UK’s Black Internship Programme and the DSDP. Welcoming back BIP-LIDA talent who have since gone on to thrive doing their PhDs or working as Research Software technicians and engineers was a pleasure to see, especially the ways in which they are fostering the next generation of talent and breaking down barriers.”
Dr Dona Reddiar, Doctoral and Internship Programme Manager said, “We were delighted to have the opportunity to work with Kylie and the LIDA team to both welcome our incoming interns and celebrate the achievements of our BIP alumni in the DSDP. We are always rooting for our interns to achieve success in whatever they choose to do, and now they have developed their own amazing mini-network of DSP-BIP alumni. The DSDP is a fantastic initiative by LIDA to work for the public good. It aligns with HDR UK’s mission to improve people’s lives by uniting the UK’s health and care data to enable discoveries.”
Ifeanyi Chukwu, LIDA Research Software Engineer said, “The BIP is such a fantastic programme which gave me the wonderful introduction to Health Data Science/Research five years ago and positioned me to the career path I now have and enjoy. I’m sure the current BIP interns will have a valuable time working on their projects at their host organisations and gain an enjoyable health data science career afterwards.”
Favour Aghaebe, PhD student at The University of Sheffield said, “The Data Science and Analytics industry is full of driven, self-taught professionals and career changers who bring strong theoretical knowledge but often lack real-world experiences. The BIP-DSDP pipeline bridges this gap, offering diverse, high-impact projects that build practical skills while creating meaningful contributions to the public good.”
Precious-Gift Alele, LIDA Data Scientist said, “For many young professionals like me who are passionate but have “squiggly” (non-traditional) career paths, HDR UK’s and LIDA’s programmes are creating opportunities where diverse backgrounds and experiences are welcomed and valued. The programmes recognise that while talent is everywhere, opportunity is not, and they are actively changing that narrative for the global majority in data science and tech.”
Further information
LIDA - The LIDA Data Scientist Development Programme is an opportunity for graduates and career changers looking to pursue a career in data science. It provides on-the-job training and experience in the form of a fixed 12-month, paid role.
The data scientists own the delivery of two 6-month projects, working on real-world problems with real data across Health, Environment and Societies. They work with external partners across the public, private, charitable and education sectors. They also work with leading scholars, and the wider LIDA and University of Leeds research community.
HDR BIP - The HDR UK Black Internship Programme is a paid, summer internship scheme developed by Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) in collaboration with the 10,000 Black Interns initiative. The programme aims to address the underrepresentation of Black individuals in the health data science sector by offering Black students and recent graduates the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the field.
The importance of the HDR UK Black Internship Programme lies in its commitment to equity and inclusion in a field that has historically lacked diversity. Health data science plays a crucial role in shaping public health policy and improving patient outcomes, and it's vital that the workforce reflects the diverse populations it serves. By supporting talented Black students to enter and thrive in this space, the programme not only provides career opportunities but also ensures that the future of health research is more inclusive, innovative, and representative.
Patience Ndlovu
BYP Network is the parent company of BYP Leeds
@NurtureMeMentoring
@BYP Network