Paramita Basak Upama is developing algorithms for healthcare services using quantum machine learning and natural language processing four and a half years after arriving at Marquette University from Bangladesh, Marquette Today reported.
Upama grew up in Dhaka and was born in Tangail, experiencing a mix of historic architecture and modern urban development. Her schooling in Dhaka fostered an early interest in history, architecture, and tradition.
She completed her secondary education at YWCA Higher Secondary Girls’ School and Dhaka City College. She later earned an undergraduate degree from Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology and a master’s degree from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.
Working in the Ubicomp Lab, Upama focuses on diabetes and related diseases through explainable artificial intelligence. Her research aims to support earlier disease identification and inform healthcare decisions.
“I hope to delve deeper into diabetes-related research and develop approaches that can support earlier identification of disease and better-informed healthcare decisions,” Upama told Marquette Today.
Adjusting to life in the United States involved facing moments of loneliness while separated from family in Bangladesh and her husband in Canada. The campus community, including the computer science department and St. Joan of Arc Chapel, provided familiar spaces.
“The community at Marquette has always been a blessing to me,” Upama said. “Everyone I met here welcomed me wholeheartedly, despite the cultural and language differences.”
She has participated in the International Student Peer-Support Program and the Graduate Student Organization to assist new students settling into Milwaukee. Marquette will highlight international students during International Education Week from Nov. 16 to 20, 2026.
“I am the first woman in my family to study abroad, and that too in the United States, where I had no family at all,” Upama told Marquette Today. “But I can really trust and rely on my Marquette friends and do not feel alone anymore.”
