Kenyan scientist Fridah Mokaya made history as the first black woman to earn a PhD in Nuclear Physics from the University of Connecticut in the USA.
Dr. Mokaya achieved this milestone after completing her master’s degree in physics at Binghamton University—a path she pursued after encouragement from her boyfriend, now husband, who persuaded her to apply to graduate school in the US.
Her academic journey continued when she enrolled in the PhD program at UConn in the fall of 2010.
To her surprise, she was the only black female PhD student in her department, but this did not shake her focus or determination.
While pursuing her studies, Mokaya became a mother in 2012, balancing the demands of family and academics.
Fridah Mokaya Education Background
Fridah Mokaya earned her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nuclear Physics (Hadronic Physics) from the University of Connecticut between 2010 and 2017.
She previously obtained a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Physics from Binghamton University from 2008 to 2010.
In high school, Mokaya narrowly missed the 70 percent cut-off mark for sciences until her physics teacher intervened by speaking to the deputy principal at Pangani Girls High School in Nairobi.
The principal allowed her to join the Physics class on the condition that she perform well, a challenge she met by scoring an ‘A’.
She later pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, graduating with Second Class Honours, Lower Division.
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Career Background
At Bank of America in Charlotte, North Carolina, Fridah Mokaya has served as Vice President of Consumer Risk Analytics since July 2022.
In this role, she improved consumer loss forecasting models using high-performance Python, significantly reducing execution times.
Mokaya designed and implemented rigorous model testing and validation frameworks and automated data validation workflows, cutting manual effort while improving data quality.
Before this, she worked at Collins Aerospace in Charlotte, NC, and Windsor Locks, CT, from February 2019 to July 2022.
From January 2021 to July 2022, she was Manager of Aftermarket Operations Analytics & Optimization, leading analytics and data engineering efforts while mentoring junior analysts.
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She designed Azure-based analytical infrastructure to track operational KPIs, built Alteryx workflows and Tableau dashboards for predictive analytics, and established an analytics community of practice that drove cost-saving innovations.
From February 2019 to January 2021, she served as Manager of Data & Analytics, directing a team of developers using Python, R, VBA, and SQL to build automation tools.
Earlier in her career, Mokaya was a Graduate Assistant at the University of Connecticut from August 2010 to May 2018.
She designed C++ software for large-scale data processing and analysis, performed Monte Carlo simulations and regression-based modeling, and presented her research findings at national physics conferences.
She also worked as a Business Analyst at Barclays Bank Kenya from January 2007 to August 2008, where she conducted data analysis and prepared reports to support business decision-making while collaborating with cross-functional teams to improve operational efficiency.
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