Founder’s Profile
Mary-Brenda Akoda
Founder & CEO, GenScan AI
AI Research Scientist · AI Inventor · Entrepreneur · Medical AI
About Mary-Brenda Akoda
Mary-Brenda Akoda is a Nigerian AI researcher, inventor and entrepreneur, and the Founder and CEO of GenScan AI, a medical artificial intelligence company developing technology to accelerate MRI scanning and improve access to diagnostic imaging.
Her work sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, medical imaging and healthcare innovation, with a particular focus on deep generative AI models for accelerating MRI reconstruction. Through GenScan AI, she is developing GenMRI, a generative AI-powered technology that the company says can reduce MRI scan times by up to 90% on existing scanners.
Akoda’s interest in medical AI developed through her research at Imperial College London, where she pursued a Master of Research (MRes) in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning with Distinction. Her research focused on Deep Generative Models for MRI Reconstruction, exploring how generative AI could be used to significantly improve the speed and quality of medical image reconstruction.
She was one of two students, and the only international student, awarded the 2024/25 Google DeepMind Scholarship at Imperial College London. Her research was conducted under Dr Chen Qin at Imperial’s I-X AI research laboratory, with involvement in the Biomedical Image Analysis Research Group.
Founder of GenScan AI
Akoda founded GenScan AI to translate AI research in medical imaging into practical healthcare applications. The company’s flagship technology, GenMRI, is designed to accelerate MRI scans by using generative AI to reconstruct high-quality diagnostic images from accelerated MRI data.
GenScan AI says its technology can reduce a 20-minute MRI scan to as little as two minutes, potentially allowing healthcare providers to increase imaging capacity without purchasing new MRI scanners.
The company emerged from Akoda’s research into generative AI for MRI reconstruction and her interest in addressing delays in medical diagnosis. In discussing the origins of GenScan AI, Akoda has described the venture as being driven by the conviction that people should not suffer or die because of delayed diagnosis.
AI Research & Medical Imaging
Akoda’s research at Imperial College London focused specifically on Deep Generative Models for MRI Reconstruction. Her LinkedIn profile states that the work explored cutting-edge deep generative AI techniques to improve medical image reconstruction speed and quality.
During her time at Imperial, she also presented research seminars and tutorials to the institution’s interdepartmental Biomedical Image Analysis Group on deep probabilistic generative models for real-time image generation and zero-shot data-editing applications.
She also mentored a master’s student working on Deep Generative Models for MRI Reconstruction.
Her research has received support through the Fetch.ai Compute Award, which she was awarded in February 2025 for her research project on novel deep generative models for accelerated MRI reconstruction.
Experience at Microsoft
Before founding GenScan AI, Akoda gained professional experience as a software engineer and AI researcher at Microsoft.
Her experience included working on machine learning and software engineering projects. During an earlier Microsoft internship, she worked on applying deep learning approaches to 3D human avatar animation from video and audio, according to recommendations and experience information published on her LinkedIn profile.
She also contributed to Microsoft’s GOL Clinics West Africa programme, helping to establish the programme and support 120 young people across West Africa with training in areas including .NET, JavaScript, Git, Azure, software design and programme-management fundamentals.
Her responsibilities included developing the programme website, helping curate the curriculum, reviewing applicants and teaching JavaScript, Git and software development lifecycle concepts.
Earlier Technology Work
Akoda has also worked on technology projects connected to language and education.
In a 2024 interview with Vanguard, her brother Philip Akoda identified Mary-Brenda as a co-founder of a Yoruba dictionary project and said she led the technical team. He credited her with the project’s UI/UX design and full-stack development, as well as introducing features including badges and an automated recommended-words function.
This work reflects a broader background in applying software engineering and artificial intelligence to practical problems beyond medical imaging.
Recognition & Awards
Akoda’s work in artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship has received recognition from several international organisations.
Her documented recognitions include:
- Winner of the $100,000 Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation (NPSI): In September 2026, Mary-Brenda Akoda officially won the prestigious Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation, taking home the $100,000 (N140 million) grand prize for her groundbreaking development of the GenMRI/C-MORE framework.
- Google DeepMind Scholarship — One of two students and the only international student awarded the 2024/25 AI Scholarship at Imperial College London.
- Fetch.ai Compute Award — Awarded in support of her research into deep generative models for accelerated MRI reconstruction.
- Founderland Forward Grant — Selected as the sole recipient of the Q4 2025 Forward Grant, supporting founders building high-impact companies in Europe and the UK.
- EASI26 — Entrepreneurs’ Award in Social Innovation — Won the 2026 award with GenScan AI and received the £10,000 EASI prize.
- Prometheus X Venture Fellow — Selected as a Prometheus X Venture Fellow and recognised for her work as the founder of GenScan AI.
- Generation Google Scholarship — Received the Generation Google Scholarship for Europe, the Middle East and Africa in 2021.
- Nigerian Drone Business Competition — Won first place in the 2021 Nigerian Drone Business Competition organised by Global Air Drone Academy in partnership with the U.S. Consulate.
- Microsoft EMEA Engineering Intern Garage Hackathon — Won the overall award after pitching a machine-learning solution aimed at making software engineering careers more accessible to people with visual impairments.
Education
Imperial College London
Master of Research (MRes), Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning — Distinction
2024–2025
At Imperial, Akoda conducted research into deep generative models for MRI reconstruction and was a member of the Biomedical Image Analysis Research Group. She was also awarded the 2024/25 Google DeepMind Scholarship.
Current Focus
Through GenScan AI, Akoda is focused on translating advanced generative AI research into medical imaging technology that can be deployed within existing healthcare infrastructure.
GenScan AI’s work is centred initially on MRI, with the company’s GenMRI technology designed to reduce scan times, increase scanner capacity and help healthcare systems reduce diagnostic delays. The company is progressing towards clinical adoption and deployment with healthcare partners.
Akoda’s career combines AI research, software engineering, medical imaging and entrepreneurship, with her current work focused on applying generative AI to one of the most important bottlenecks in diagnostic healthcare: the time and capacity required for MRI scanning.
Founder Information
Name: Mary-Brenda Akoda
Nationality: Nigerian
Current Role: Founder & CEO, GenScan AI
Professional Focus: Artificial Intelligence, Medical AI, Medical Imaging, Generative AI, AI Research and Entrepreneurship
Education: Imperial College London — MRes Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Distinction
LinkedIn: Mary-Brenda Akoda on LinkedIn
Company: GenScan AI
