Leonard Mndala

Contact Info: leonard.mndala@maine.edu

Degree Program: M.S Data Science and Engineering

Home Country: Malawi

Role in Graduate Student Government: Secretary

Reason behind joining the GSG as an officer:
I joined GSG to contribute to structured, transparent, and action-oriented student governance, while supporting clear communication and representation of graduate student voices.

As an officer in the GSG, how would you like to contribute in such a way that you improve the situation for graduate students?
As Secretary, I hope to support GSG by keeping accurate records, organizing meeting documentation, and ensuring that discussions are clearly captured and followed up. I believe effective governance depends not only on making decisions, but also on documenting them well, communicating them clearly, and tracking action items so that student concerns are translated into meaningful progress.

Long-term Career Goals:
I hope to use data science, public health research, and impact evaluation to strengthen health systems and improve decision-making in communities, particularly in low-resource settings.

Involvement in clubs and other organizations:
Co-Founder, Health for All Initiative; former President, Malawian Students Association in India; former VP, Society of Anglican Students, University of Malawi.

Research at UMaine:
My academic interests focus on applying data science, analytics, and visualization to public health, monitoring and evaluation, and evidence-based decision-making.

Hobbies:
Soccer, exploring new places, roadtrips, swimming and movies.