Rutgers Business School, New Jersey, United States (US) has honoured a Nigerian professor, Celestine Iwendi, at the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Trusted Quality Management (IAITQM).
Iwendi, a professor of AI and Head, Centre of Intelligence at the University of Greater Manchester, was recognised for his outstanding contribution in information technology and decision making on a human-centric model, held at an event at Rutgers Business School, New Jersey, United States.
Presented by Prof. Yong Shi, President of IAITQM, and Prof. Wikil Kwak, Vice President for Finance, the Turing Award was for his groundbreaking contributions to artificial intelligence and human cognition.
They said the prestigious recognition was named in honour of Herbert Simon (1916–2001), the eminent American social scientist who received the 1978 Nobel Prize in Economics and —together with Allen Newell — the 1975 A.M.
Iwendi said he had been undaunted in giving AI a more human understanding of how it can aid efficiency in the workplace rather than displacing workers.
He said the move informed the recognition and acceptance of a research project he led by another top global body in South Africa.
According to him, the research project has been officially accepted for presentation at the 12th International Conference on Reliability, Infocom Technologies and Optimisation (ICRITO 2025), under the theme ‘Trends and Future Directions’.
He said the paper, titled ‘Integrating Behavioural Science using the Psycho-Intelligence Framework in Connected Systems’, presents a cutting-edge, real-time closed-loop system that integrates electroencephalography (EEG) and motion sensor data to decode users’ cognitive and emotional states.
According to him, the research introduces sycho-Intelligence, a novel framework that merges neuroscience, behavioural science, and adaptive artificial intelligence (AI) to enable emotionally intelligent human-machine interaction in critical areas such as education, healthcare, and cognitive health monitoring.
Iwendi said the framework represents a shift towards AI systems that can respond empathetically to users’ mental and emotional conditions, making digital interactions more human-centric, inclusive, and ethically grounded.
“This work is a major step in bridging the cognitive-empathic gap in intelligent systems. It demonstrates how low-cost wearable biosensors and advanced AI models can transform real-time digital communication,” he said.
He added that the research was conducted at CIoTh and developed in collaboration with a diverse team of researchers: Ezekiel Gabriel Nwibo, Collins Lemeke, Salome Uwah, Kumasum Ukura (Product Designer) and Olayinka Ojo.
“It is one of five innovative papers to be presented by the CIoTh team at ICRITO 2025, further establishing the University of Greater Manchester’s leadership in AI and behavioural computing.
“The psycho-intelligence framework has already attracted interest across academic and industry sectors, particularly for its applications in AI-powered chatbots, telehealth platforms, and emotion-aware educational tools.
“As the global conversation on ethical, responsive AI systems continues to grow, this milestone affirms the University of Greater Manchester’s ongoing contribution to shaping the future of human-centred technology, he said.
