First-class graduate of Computer Science from the University of London, Mary-Brenda Akoda, has emerged as the winner of the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation (NPSI), smiling home with $100,000.

She won the prize for her ground-breaking innovation, GenScan AI (GenMRI/C-MORE), an Artificial Intelligence-powered solution that accelerates Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

Akoda became the first millennial and first woman to win the Prize as an individual recipient, marking a significant milestone in the Prize’s history.

The winner was announced at the 2026 Press Conference for the Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation in Lagos, after a rigorous, independent evaluation by the Prize’s Panel of Judges and endorsement by the NPSI Advisory Board.

Following the unanimous recommendation by the panel of judges, chaired by Dr Omobola Johnson and the approval of the NPSI Advisory Board, GenScan AI was selected as the winning work from a record of 237 entries submitted in the 2026 cycle, the highest number of entries ever received since the Prize began.

In her speech, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, NLNG, Dr Sophia Horsfall, said the return of a winner after the Prize recorded a “no winner” verdict in 2025 demonstrated that the standards of the Prize remained uncompromising while reflecting the quality and potential of Nigerian science and innovation.

The Chairman of the NPSI Advisory Board, Prof. Barth Nnaji, said the unanimous decision to recognise GenScan AI reflects the quality of the innovation and its potential to address important healthcare challenges.

The 2026 outcome marks the 12th time a winning work has been recognised in the 22-year history of the Prize, now rebranded as The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation.

Akoda holds a Master of Research with Distinction in AI and Machine Learning from Imperial College London, where she was a Google DeepMind Scholar. She has also worked as a software engineer and AI research scientist at Microsoft, including with the Microsoft Mixed Reality and AI Research Lab in Cambridge.