Rumi Chunara is a computer scientist who is an associate professor of biostatistics at the New York University School of Global Public Health.

She is particularly interested in how the acquisition of data can be used to better support public health decisions, and how ethics should be considered in the design of computational systems.

In these contexts, early warning signs of disease outbreak can be essential in directing medical workers and resources to areas of need.

[9][10] In India, Chunara offered $0.02 rewards to people who completed a malaria survey, the outcomes of which informed the design and deployment of diagnostic kits.

In 2018, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supported Chunara to improve vaccination rates in Pakistan through the development of smart immunization targeting.