#### Hi! Welcome to ML Collective Africa 👋🏿😎!
## Who We Are
ML Collective Africa is a pan-African community of early-career researchers passionate about machine learning and AI research. We launched as ML Collective Nigeria in 2023 and expanded to continental scope in 2026, becoming the most active geographical chapter in the global ML Collective network with over 150 members.
Our expansion reflected a simple reality: the challenges we face—limited research infrastructure, sparse mentorship networks, and visa barriers—aren't confined to one country. They're shared across Africa. By operating at continental scale, we can recruit better mentors, establish presence at pan-African venues like Deep Learning Indaba, and build the critical mass needed for sustained impact.
We work across computational fields: computer science and machine learning, yes, but also computational biology, linguistics, medicine, digital humanities, and any discipline where computation meets research. Our mission is straightforward: help African researchers build skills, find mentors, publish papers, and pursue meaningful careers—whether through grad school, industry research, or alternative pathways.
We're immensely grateful to the ML Collective founders, Rosanne Liu and Jason Yosinski, for creating this community and for their continuous support as we grow.
## How to Get Started
Your entry point depends on where you are in your research journey. Pick the path that fits:
### New to ML Research?
If you're an undergraduate or recent graduate just getting started, our **CS197 Foundations Study Group** is designed for you. We work through Harvard's [CS197 (AI Research Experiences)](https://www.cs197.seas.harvard.edu/) together, covering research fundamentals through six structured assignments: literature review, research proposal, experiment design, technical writing, and more. The course culminates in an independent capstone project where you propose a research direction, conduct literature review, design experiments, and present your findings in a technical report (potentially publishable as a workshop paper) and mini-slide deck to the MLC community.
**Time commitment:** 3-8 hours weekly (depending on your skill level)
**Format:** Weekly group sessions on Fridays, independent work, final presentation
**Outcome:** Complete technical report and presentation, foundational skills for focus groups
**Frequency:** New cohorts start every 4 months (3 cohorts per year)
This is the best place to start if you're new to research and want structured, hands-on guidance.
**[Join the next cohort →](#)**
**[See CS197 course details →](https://www.cs197.seas.harvard.edu/)**
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### Ready to Do Research?
**Focus groups** are small research teams (3-6 people) working together toward publications. Each group focuses on a specific research question, collaborates on projects, and aims to publish at workshops and conferences. This is where most of our research happens.
Focus groups follow a progression: produce a workshop paper as a speedy feedback process to test your ideas' efficacy (there's no reason to spend 8 months to a year before producing your first workshop paper), use that to find external mentors, then aim for conference publication with mentor guidance. After your first workshop paper produced within a group, we emphasize first-author publications—fostering the research independence and ownership highly sought in the field.
**Requirements:**
- Demonstrated commitment: strong interest or past experience with project fundamentals
- 4-12 hours weekly (depending on skill level, project demands, and deadlines)
- Willingness to actively contribute
You can either join an existing focus group or start your own (minimum 3 committed members with a clear research question).
**[Browse active focus groups and projects →](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1if0ROCUJVQzLxI6n_eGgKQ-qezL5C5X2SwgH99OFYV0/edit?slide=id.p#slide=id.p)**
**[Guide to starting research projects, designing exps, and doing academic writing →](https://docs.google.com/document/d/19Cih95tbd_F2r8JPFsz-WyHnub6xPw4E7x7Smgk_lbA/edit?tab=t.0)**
**[Focus group paper authorship/ownership guide →](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pWJCvst9r9_q5C4IDw98Oas9XQQOK-Kr-wygQvggjC4/edit?tab=t.0)**
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### Want to Explore First?
Our **Saturday Reading Groups** meet weekly to discuss recent papers and foundational works using the [role-playing seminar format](https://colinraffel.com/blog/role-playing-seminar.html).
**For role participants:** Read the assigned paper before Saturday's meeting (lasting one hour) and present slides or code demos of your findings based on your role (archeologist, hacker, practitioner, etc.).
**For other participants:** Just show up and listen—it's relaxing! Ideal for folks wanting to learn about trendy research areas. Each month has a theme, and every first Saturday is dedicated to a survey paper giving a bird's-eye view of the area.
**Time commitment:** 1 hour on Saturdays (plus prep time if taking a role)
**No application required** - just show up
This is a perfect low-commitment way to get involved while deciding your next step.
**[See current schedule list →](#)**
## Our Programs
### Focus Groups & Research Projects
Small collaborative teams working on specific research questions, aiming for workshop and conference publications. Focus groups are our primary research activity—where theory meets practice and ideas become papers.
What makes our approach different: we emphasize rapid iteration (workshop papers in few months, not a year), strategic publication planning with external mentor support, and building toward first-author papers (rather than just putting your name on anything) that demonstrate research independence. Workshop papers serve both as starting points AND as speedy feedback mechanisms to test your ideas.
**Recent successes (2025):**
- Conference papers at AACL 2024, INTERSPEECH 2025
- Multiple workshop presentations at ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML, EMNLP, ACL, MICCAI, AAAI
- Best Paper Award at AfricaNLP @ ACL 2025
- Best Paper Runner-up at MIRASOL @ MICCAI 2025
- Numerous poster awards at Deep Learning Indaba annually since 2022
**[Browse active focus groups and projects →](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1if0ROCUJVQzLxI6n_eGgKQ-qezL5C5X2SwgH99OFYV0/edit?slide=id.p#slide=id.p)**
**[View published work from our community →](https://mlcollective.org/projects)**
**[Add your papers to our library →](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OHE25k5xBYD5b8-zhWCCNZlxTyWhiYmhWFFdklt9eCE/edit?pli=1&gid=0#gid=0)**
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### Mentorship Program
We connect members with PhD students, postdocs, and research scientists for guidance on research direction, career planning, and navigating academia. Our model emphasizes sustainable, streamlined, and effective commitment: mentors don't handhold, and mentees are typically highly-motivated individuals who have had initial/preliminary results accepted at a workshop and are seeking to expand to conference work. This ensures mentorship is concise, well-scoped, and expected to yield results.
We take a two-pronged approach: members proactively find mentors after completing workshop papers, and we (the leads) actively recruit mentors and facilitate matches. Applications are screened to ensure serious commitment from both sides.
**[Apply to be a mentor (open to all) →](#)**
**[Apply to be a mentee (for active members) →](#)**
**[Learn more about our mentorship model →](#)**
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### Research & Publications
We help members navigate the publication process strategically. Our approach emphasizes first-author papers at solid venues over middle-authorship at top-tier conferences, treats workshop papers as both starting points AND speedy feedback processes (no reason to spend 8-12 months before a workshop paper), and leverages ACL Rolling Review for continuous improvement cycles.
After that initial workshop publication produced within a group, we emphasize first-author papers at solid venues, fostering the research independence highly valued in the field.
We also help members think realistically about venue selection—NeurIPS/ICML/ICLR are extremely competitive and usually not the best targets for building your first research profile.
**[Read our publication strategy guide →](#)**
**[Focus group paper authorship/ownership guide →](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pWJCvst9r9_q5C4IDw98Oas9XQQOK-Kr-wygQvggjC4/edit?tab=t.0)**
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### Research Internships & Open Programs
Publications aren't the only path to building research experience. We actively support members pursuing research internships (at universities, labs, and companies) and open source programs (Google Summer of Code, Outreachy). These provide mentorship, hands-on experience, and often lead to both publications and strong recommendation letters.
**Recent successes:**
- Zaynab at Max Planck Institute
- Chinonye/Rosemary at Aalto University
- Prince at Google Research Africa
- Favour James (2x Google Summer of Code)
- Ilerioluwakiiye at SPARK Academy
We host regular Sunday Specials where members share their strategies for securing these opportunities. Prince maintains a comprehensive list of open research internship positions.
**[View research internship opportunities →](https://docs.google.com/document/d/16odpvFaFm6ZKxdAPfZPCzk_D0bhnIQSk6-5rfCFBaNE/edit?tab=t.0)**
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### Community Support & Opportunities
In the past, we've organized extensive support for active community members including:
- **Summer schools and conferences:** We've organized yearly fundraisers to sponsor active members to Deep Learning Indaba since 2022 and regularly share related opportunities on Discord
- **Fee waiver funding:** In 2025, we allocated ~$10K for grad school application fee waivers
- **Application prep:** Workshops, recommendation letters, strategic guidance
We adapt our support based on community needs and available resources each year. Active members who contribute meaningfully to the community are prioritized for these opportunities.
**[Learn more about community support →](#)**
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### Grad School Support
We support members applying to graduate programs, but this is one pathway among many—not our primary focus or the default path. Grad school preparation happens through a dedicated Discord group (separate from general activities).
In the past, we've provided structured support including application workshops, recommendation letters, fee waiver funding, and strategic guidance. Support is selective: we prioritize the most active members with concrete research outputs and research primarily conducted through MLC.
Coming July 2026: comprehensive grad school handbook.
**[Learn more about grad school support →](#)**
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### Saturday Reading Groups
Weekly paper discussions using role-playing format. Great for staying current with research, practicing critical reading, and meeting other members. Anyone can join—no application needed. Each month has a theme, with the first Saturday dedicated to survey papers.
**[Current schedule on MLC Calendar →](https://mlcollective.org/events)**
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### CS197 Foundations Study Group
Cohort-based study of Harvard's [AI Research Experiences course](https://www.cs197.seas.harvard.edu/). Six structured assignments plus independent capstone project culminating in technical report and presentation. Designed for newcomers who want hands-on research training. New cohorts start every 4 months (3 per year).
**Meetings:** Fridays (see MLC Calendar for exact times)
**[Join the next cohort →](#)**
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### Sunday Community Calls & Sunday Specials
Weekly community-wide meetings (8:00-9:30 PM WAT) for announcements, special presentations, and coordination. This is easily the most low-effort way to stay connected—it's very chilled, people often introduce themselves, and we cover everything happening in the community.
Recent Sunday Special topics: guides to research internships, deep dives on open programs, publication strategy workshops, community planning.
**[Add MLC Calendar to see all meetings →](https://mlcollective.org/events)**
By adding our calendar to your Google Calendar/iCal, you'll easily find meeting links and access past meeting notes and recordings for sessions you missed.
## Community Resources
**MLC Calendar:** All meetings (Sunday calls, reading groups, CS197 sessions) with links and recordings
→ [mlcollective.org/events](https://mlcollective.org/events)
**2025 Paper Library:** Add your publications to showcase our collective impact
→ [Add your paper](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OHE25k5xBYD5b8-zhWCCNZlxTyWhiYmhWFFdklt9eCE/edit?pli=1&gid=0#gid=0) | [Browse published work](https://mlcollective.org/projects)
**Discord Community:** Day-to-day coordination, questions, discussions
→ [Join our Discord](https://discord.gg/nNJ4GBPZm9)
**Onboarding Form:** Fill this to join our mailing list for big announcements
→ [Complete onboarding form](https://forms.gle/emXnj87pqBfS15Hj6)
**Feedback:** Help us improve
→ [Share your thoughts](#)
## Frequently Asked Questions
**Do I need to be in Nigeria?**
No! We're ML Collective Africa now (expanded in 2026). Anyone in Africa or with strong ties to the continent can join.
**Is this only for people planning to do a PhD?**
Absolutely not. Many members pursue research internships, industry roles, open source contributions, or other pathways. We explicitly emphasize that grad school isn't for everyone.
**What if I'm not studying computer science?**
Perfect! We welcome all computational fields—biology, linguistics, medicine, digital humanities, social sciences, anything involving computational research.
**How much time should I commit?**
It varies:
- Reading groups: 1 hour weekly (plus prep if taking a role)
- CS197 study group: 3-8 hours weekly (depending on skill level)
- Focus groups: 4-12 hours weekly (depending on skill level and project demands)
- Sunday calls: 1.5 hours weekly (very low-effort, optional but recommended)
Most active members do one major activity (e.g., focus group) plus occasional Sunday calls.
**I'm just exploring. Can I join casually?**
Yes! Sunday calls are perfect for this—very chilled, low commitment. You can also join Saturday reading groups without taking a role.
**Do I need prior publications?**
Not at all. Most members join without publications. We help you build toward your first one.
**What if I don't see a focus group in my area?**
Start one! Gather 2-3 interested members and propose a project. We'll help refine the idea and find mentors.
**Is there a cost?**
No. ML Collective Africa is completely free. In the past, we've even provided fee waiver funding and conference sponsorships for active members.
## Get Started Today
1. **Fill out onboarding form:** [forms.gle/emXnj87pqBfS15Hj6](https://forms.gle/emXnj87pqBfS15Hj6)
2. **Join our Discord:** [discord.gg/nNJ4GBPZm9](https://discord.gg/nNJ4GBPZm9)
3. **Pick your entry point:**
- New to research? → CS197 study group
- Ready for projects? → [Browse focus groups](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1if0ROCUJVQzLxI6n_eGgKQ-qezL5C5X2SwgH99OFYV0/edit?slide=id.p#slide=id.p)
- Want to explore? → Sunday calls or Saturday reading groups
4. **Add our calendar:** [mlcollective.org/events](https://mlcollective.org/events)
5. **Introduce yourself** in #introductions on Discord or at a Sunday call
We look forward to working with you.
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*Last updated: January 2026*
