- Spatial Autocorrelation
- CHYF AI
- SpartyWiz: Human-Centered AI Innovation
- Undergraduate Research CO-Mentorship
- About Me
Spatial Autocorrelation
As a PhD researcher at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, I developed a geometry-aware approach to detecting and analysing spatial clustering that uses diffusion on graph-based representations of places. Framed as a Markov‑chain mixing process, the method measures how quickly an initial population distribution dissipates under local averaging to reveal geometric clustering and bottlenecks that classical statistics can miss. The framework provides a family of diffusion distances, comes with provable bounds on mixing and stability, and admits exact formulas under permutation null models; applied to Black population distributions across 100 U.S. cities, diffusion distance consistently identifies meaningful geometric structure beyond what Moran’s I detects. I presented this work at the 21st Regional Mathematics and Statistics Conference and UNC Greensboro’s Graduate Research Seminar (2025). Read more on LinkedIn
CHYF AI
CHYF (Chidinma Helps You Focus) is an LLM‑assisted micro‑planning companion that harnesses large language models to support everyday focus and task execution. Given a free‑form or highly structured description of what someone wants to do, CHYF generates a refined, humane sequence of steps—adding buffers, re‑ordering for cognitive load, and suggesting small but meaningful adjustments rather than simply mirroring the input. It lives at the intersection of human‑computer interaction, productivity support, and calm, assistive AI. You are invited to explore the CHYF web app and read my reflection on LinkedIn.
SpartyWiz: Human-Centered AI Innovation
SpartyWiz is an AI-powered campus assistant redefining how students access information. Via Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and Large Language Models, SpartyWiz connects UNCG’s internal knowledge bases with conversational AI to provide accurate, real-time, and inclusive 24/7 support for all students. SpartyWiz won second place in the 2025 UNCG AI Innovation Challenge and the People's Choice Award. Read more about it here: Campus Weekly, Math & Stats News, Research, LinkedIn.
Undergraduate Research CO-Mentorship
I co-mentored two undergraduate students in the Computational Statistics REU program at UNC Greensboro. Working with Dr. Thomas Weighill, our research spanned pertinent areas in the discipline, including Topological Data Analysis (TDA), Geospatial Data Analysis, Optimal Transport, Statistics, and Machine Learning. This research was presented at the culmination of the program, where the participating students were awarded certificates for their research milestones.
About Me
Hi! My name is Chidinma Williams. I am a dedicated Ph.D. researcher and scholar in Computational Mathematics and Statistics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. I am also a Predoctoral Scholar of the National Alliance for Doctoral Studies in the Mathematical Sciences (the National Math Alliance) and a Citizen Scientist with the NASA Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) Analysis Working Group, where I contribute to AI and machine learning–driven research initiatives. My passion lies in applying mathematics, statistics, and operations research to solve complex and dynamic problems, particularly in aerospace and geospatial systems. Through my research, leadership, and community involvement, I strive to make meaningful contributions to both academia and the broader STEM community.
© 2026 Chidinma C. Williams · All rights reserved
Credits:
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