Mary-Brenda Akoda has emerged winner of the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation, (NPSI) for her groundbreaking artificial intelligence-powered MRI technology, GenScan AI, also known as GenMRI/C-MORE.
Akoda becomes the first woman and first millennial to win the prestigious prize as an individual recipient.
Her innovation, which uses artificial intelligence to accelerate Magnetic Resonance Imaging, MRI, scans, was selected from a record 237 entries submitted for the 2026 competition.
The C-MORE algorithm uses a one-step consistency-model framework to reconstruct MRI images and has the potential to reduce scan times by up to 90 per cent, without requiring new MRI hardware, while maintaining or improving image quality.
The innovation was adjudged to have the strongest combination of scientific innovation, technical soundness, developmental impact and commercial scalability among the three shortlisted entries.
Speaking at the 2026 NPSI press conference in Lagos, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, NLNG, Sophia Horsfall, said the return of a winner after the Prize recorded a “no winner” verdict in 2025 demonstrates that the standards of the Prize remain uncompromising while reflecting the quality and potential of Nigerian science and innovation.
According to her, “If an entry is declared worthy of the Prize today, we can be confident that it has earned that distinction through a thorough and credible evaluation process.”
Similarly, chairman of the NPSI Advisory Board, Professor Barth Nnaji, said the unanimous decision to recognise GenScan AI reflects the quality of the innovation and its potential to address important healthcare challenges.
He noted that the rigorous evaluation process was designed to identify work that goes beyond scientific novelty to demonstrate practical relevance, measurable impact and prospects for real-world application.
According to him, GenScan AI stood out for combining advanced artificial intelligence with a practical healthcare application that could improve the efficiency and accessibility of medical imaging.
The 2026 outcome marks the 12th time a winning work has been recognised in the 22-year history of the Prize.
Akoda, a First-Class Computer Science graduate of Goldsmiths, University of London, holds a Master of Research with Distinction in Artificial Intelligence 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.
Akoda will receive the US$100,000 prize award at the Grand Award Night scheduled for October 9, 2026.
