Winnie Nakiyingi is a Statistician currently working as a Statistics Consultant for Axiom-DK, a consultancy firm in Denmark. She is also a Research Assistant for Data and Quantum at Quantum Leap Africa (QLA) at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in Rwanda.  

Because of her passion for empowering African women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), she founded Words That Count (WTC), an initiative that documents stories of successful African women in STEM. The aim is to present the various career paths on the STEM spectrum to young girls mapping their careers in STEM. WTC mainly highlights hybrid careers, which are an intersection of traditional STEM careers as they are commonly known in Africa.

Winnie’s other passion is bridging the gap between natural and social sciences through collaborations between policymakers, diplomats, and scientists/researchers. She strongly believes that research findings should be communicated in a way that speaks to policymakers for research to have its intended impact. In spearheading such science diplomacy engagements, she was invited as the only African woman to the inaugural Immersion Program of the Science Diplomacy Week organized by the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) and the United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR).