“In a world of automated answers, critical thinking is the ultimate advantage.”
Lilongwe has never seen anything like this. QED STEM Academy is a first-of-its-kind programme bringing world-class science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education to Malawi — training previously only available at elite institutions in Asia, Europe, and North America.
At a dedicated training facility, spend this winter learning from the best. Our coaches include Malawi's own Pan-African Math Olympiad medalists, top high school teachers, STEM trainers imported from Asia, robotics coaches, and STEM entrepreneurs that worked in +28 countries and built AI-driven companies at the frontier of industry. They know exactly what the job market demands — and they are here to prepare your child for it.
The QED STEM Academy offers top-notch robotics kits, creative problem solving and competitive mathematics, digital literacy with Word/Excel/Powerpoint, and working Python and block programming code with coaching from professional software engineers. Our Academy also offers introductory Mandarin Chinese — an increasingly critical language given China’s growing role in Africa's economy.
Does STEM matter in the age of AI? YES. AI is raising the floor. Your child must reach the ceiling. Your child's greatest competitor never sleeps, never tires, and never forgets. While AI generates answers, your child must learn to judge them. Developing these mathematical and scientific intuitions starts at a early age. When knowledge has become common, judgment is now priceless.
Whether your child is just starting out or ready to compete at the international level, the QED STEM Academy will give them a 10-year head start that lasts a lifetime.
About Us
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Our Team
The STEM Academy draws on QED.ai’s experiences working and hiring in international aid across 28 countries over the past 15 years, and running an +80-person AI-driven team. This background gives us a uniquely practical vision for what the next generation of STEM professionals needs to learn to thrive.
Will
Co-Founder of QED and driving force behind the Academy. Former NASA JPL telecommunications engineer. Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and M.S. in Mathematics from Stanford University; B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley.
JC
Co-Founder of QED and co-designer of the Academy program. Ph.D. in Statistics and M.S. in Economics from Stanford University; B.S. in Math and Physics from Tsinghua University, summa cum laude.
Lusayo
Malawi's first-ever medalist in the Pan-African Math Olympiad (Bronze Medal, 2013). Together with Charles, JC, and Will, Lusayo helped organise Malawi’s first-ever national-scale Kangaroo Math competitions. Lusayo is also a full-stack software engineer, experienced in both back-end and front-end development.
Charles
Elite math coach with over a decade of experience training students to compete and win at the international level, including in Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore … and now in Malawi! You’ll find every wall of his room plastered with mathematics!
Nuswe
Passionate math and tech teacher with over decade of experience teaching in Malawi's public schools, with a genuine love for creative problem solving. Lead instructor who will run the Academy's day-to-day programmes including during the regular school year.
Lawrence
Lead robotics instructor at the Academy this winter! Former ISSEA Robotics captain. Proven track record in competition math (Waterloo Math top scorer) and youth technology programs.
Thembi
Sithembi Phombeya is an ICT specialist and data analyst. She has worked on projects at the intersection of hardware and software, including portable blood pressure measurement devices, and braille keyboards. At the Academy she is one of our teachers of robotics and electronics.
Luran
Bishop Mackenzie International School’s Class of 2026 valedictorian. Luran will be teaching Mandarin Chinese at the QED STEM Academy this winter, and assisting with robotics and math.
Our Courses
Mathematics
Singapore-style mathematics (“Seriously Addictive Math”). Novel methods enabling children to easily solve algebraic problems using visual methods and basic reasoning.
Mental mathematics drills, games, and special tricks to exsecute rapid calculations with less effort than traditional methods.
Creative and fun problem solving that also functions as preparation for international competitions, such as Mathcounts, Kangaroo Math, the Pan-African Math Olympiad (PAMO), and the International Math Olympiad (IMO).
Logical reasoning through a rich variety of board games and card games, sharpening street-fighting intuition through fun and post-game analysis.
Robotics
Build & program real robots, using a variety of hihg-quality imported kits tailored for many different age groups, including young children to advanced high school students.
Program robots to execute complex operations using either Python or visual block programming languages. Learn the fundamentals of control flow programming, debugging, trial and error, and demonstrate your robots perform in front of family and friends to their delight.
Learn basics of mechatronics, including the usage of gears, motors, sensors and actuators, circuits, and simple machines, Arduino and Raspberry Pi, line-following and tracking, and more.
Train on platforms and obstacle courses for future engagement in international robotics competitions.
Digital Literacy
Master the world’s primary productiivty suite: Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Record data, write reports, and give live technical presentations. Why wait until college to learn marketable skills that children can easily learn today?
Touch typing with all ten fingers. Have children typing at least 50 words per minute or higher after several months of training.
Mandarin Chinese 中文
The future technology landscape is likely to be shaped by both English-speaking and Chinese-speaking ecosystems. Many African countries already have excellent English skils. However, a child who also understands Mandarin, bolstered by domain expertise in STEM, will able to learn from both major pools of global knowledge. As most African contries are currently importing their machines, electronics, industrial equipment, solar products, and vehicles from China, learning Mandarin can provide students with a critical edge in all future business negotiations.
The Academy offers introductory spoken Mandarin for real-world communication. Learn greetings, small talk, numbers, and survival phrases for everyday conversation. Have real conversation with local native Chinese speakers and pair your children with language peers from abroad.
Athletics
“With the pen, bring order to the world; with the sword, secure the realm." 文能提笔安天下，武能上马定乾坤 - Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Train the mind. Train the body. Excellence requires both. The ancient Greeks and the Japanese samurai, all connected intellectual development with physical discipline. Thus our programs are interspersed with physical activiites to train the body and keep students engaged.
Our Academy offers a combination of Martial arts training by local experts in Brazilian Jiujitsu (BJJ) and boxing. Several of our STEM instructors are also varsity-level coaches in football (soccer) and volleyball. Juggling and a swimming pool are also available.
Space is limited. Click the button below to express your interest!
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