Mercy Asiedu
Mercy Asiedu is a research scientist in Society Centered AI, at Google Research where she works on using machine learning and generative AI for impact driven research for global health. Before that, she was a Schmidt Science Postdoctoral Research Fellow at MIT working on interdisciplinary research projects using generative AI methods to improve mobile ultrasound imaging. She also worked on projects researching the use of language models to improve comprehension of health notes for breast oncology patients.
She received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering and a certificate in Global health from Duke University. Her dissertation focused on the research and development of a low-cost imaging device and machine learning algorithms to reduce barriers to cervical cancer screening. She has won several awards for her work including the Inaugural Patrick J. McGovern Tech for Humanity Changemaker Awards, the Lemelson-MIT Graduate Student Inventor Award, and Velji Emerging Leader in Global Health award. Additionally, she is a co-founder of GAPHealth Technologies.
She received her bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Rochester, and high school degree from Holy Child Secondary School, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Mercy Asiedu
Mercy Asiedu is a research scientist in Society Centered AI, at Google Research where she works on using machine learning and generative AI for impact driven research for global health. Before that, she was a Schmidt Science Postdoctoral Research Fellow at MIT working on interdisciplinary research projects using generative AI methods to improve mobile ultrasound imaging. She also worked on projects researching the use of language models to improve comprehension of health notes for breast oncology patients.
She received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering and a certificate in Global health from Duke University. Her dissertation focused on the research and development of a low-cost imaging device and machine learning algorithms to reduce barriers to cervical cancer screening. She has won several awards for her work including the Inaugural Patrick J. McGovern Tech for Humanity Changemaker Awards, the Lemelson-MIT Graduate Student Inventor Award, and Velji Emerging Leader in Global Health award. Additionally, she is a co-founder of GAPHealth Technologies.
She received her bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Rochester, and high school degree from Holy Child Secondary School, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Melissa McCoy
Melissa McCoy is a dynamic technology leader with a rich background spanning finance, healthcare & water/energy across emerging markets. A Rhodes Scholar, she earned an MSc in Computer Science & MBA from the University of Oxford, augmenting her BS Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech. As co-founder and former CEO of ConnectMed, Melissa pioneered smart digital health solutions in Kenya, impacting over 8000 patients before its acquisition by Merck KGaA. At Google, she served as Senior Product Manager of the Next Billion Users team, driving innovation in Android, Google Maps, and Google Pay in Africa, Latin America, & Asia. Currently, Melissa serves as co-founder and Chief Product Officer of a venture-backed fintech startup in Brazil, dedicated to advancing financial inclusion through technology.
Melissa McCoy
Melissa McCoy is a dynamic technology leader with a rich background spanning finance, healthcare & water/energy across emerging markets. A Rhodes Scholar, she earned an MSc in Computer Science & MBA from the University of Oxford, augmenting her BS Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech. As co-founder and former CEO of ConnectMed, Melissa pioneered smart digital health solutions in Kenya, impacting over 8000 patients before its acquisition by Merck KGaA. At Google, she served as Senior Product Manager of the Next Billion Users team, driving innovation in Android, Google Maps, and Google Pay in Africa, Latin America, & Asia. Currently, Melissa serves as co-founder and Chief Product Officer of a venture-backed fintech startup in Brazil, dedicated to advancing financial inclusion through technology.
Dr. Kirori Mindo
Dr. Kirori Mindo is a technology professional with a passion for leveraging technology to drive positive change in Sub-Saharan Africa. He holds a PhD in Information Technology from Kabarak University and has a proven track record of success in both the public and private sectors. Dr. Mindo has led digital development strategies at USAID and spearheaded AI research projects at Kabarak University. His expertise spans a wide range of areas, including AI in healthcare, smart agriculture, education, e-government services, and digital financial services. As a dedicated mentor and educator, he has empowered countless individuals through training programs and mentorship initiatives, including the prestigious Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI). Currently, Dr. Mindo serves as a Team Lead at USAID’s regional mission in Nairobi, driving strategy, planning, and analysis for the program office overseeing strategy design, alignment, and implementation for all bilateral and regional activities in East Africa.
Ashley Njoroge
Ashley Njoroge is a global marketing leader with extensive experience across the US and Kenya. She drives the development and execution of integrated campaigns and brand initiatives for a $2B publicly-traded SaaS company, leveraging a budget of $100M+ to drive full-funnel campaign development and creative strategy. With a background in tech, media, and investments, along with her Berkeley training, Ashley brings a unique perspective to both the creative and business aspects of go-to-market strategies. She has successfully brought products to market for both startups and established enterprises, achieving significant revenue growth and brand visibility. As a co-founder of a venture bridging African startups with Silicon Valley investors, she leverages her strategic vision and creative acumen to drive growth and innovation, facilitating cross-continental investment and collaboration.
Ashley Njoroge
Ashley Njoroge is a global marketing leader with extensive experience across the US and Kenya. She drives the development and execution of integrated campaigns and brand initiatives for a $2B publicly-traded SaaS company, leveraging a budget of $100M+ to drive full-funnel campaign development and creative strategy. With a background in tech, media, and investments, along with her Berkeley training, Ashley brings a unique perspective to both the creative and business aspects of go-to-market strategies. She has successfully brought products to market for both startups and established enterprises, achieving significant revenue growth and brand visibility. As a co-founder of a venture bridging African startups with Silicon Valley investors, she leverages her strategic vision and creative acumen to drive growth and innovation, facilitating cross-continental investment and collaboration.
Jesse Addison
Jesse Addison is an AI technology leader with a background focused on finding product-market fit for emerging technologies. He currently leads Generative AI Product Strategy for the world’s most popular web browser, Google Chrome. Prior to Google, Jesse worked as a technology investor, product manager, and management consultant. He holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where he completed pro-bono consulting projects in Kenya and Bolivia.
Fahmy Adan
Fahmy Adan is a final-year PhD student at Imperial College London, specializing in machine learning and robotics. Originally from Kenya, Fahmy distinguished himself early on by graduating high school as the top physics student in the country, setting the stage for his academic and professional journey.
His research has been published in leading venues, including the International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV), reflecting his contributions to the field. Fahmy has also worked as a data scientist, addressing healthcare and transportation challenges at a national scale, and has diverse experience in the engineering industry. Passionate about technology and its potential to drive progress in Africa, Fahmy is committed to leveraging innovation for development. He is set to join Nvidia as a PhD researcher in 2025, where he will contribute to their autonomous vehicle research team.
Fahmy Adan
Fahmy Adan is a final-year PhD student at Imperial College London, specializing in machine learning and robotics. Originally from Kenya, Fahmy distinguished himself early on by graduating high school as the top physics student in the country, setting the stage for his academic and professional journey.
His research has been published in leading venues, including the International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV), reflecting his contributions to the field. Fahmy has also worked as a data scientist, addressing healthcare and transportation challenges at a national scale, and has diverse experience in the engineering industry. Passionate about technology and its potential to drive progress in Africa, Fahmy is committed to leveraging innovation for development. He is set to join Nvidia as a PhD researcher in 2025, where he will contribute to their autonomous vehicle research team.
Ruta Binkyte
Ruta Binkyte is a postdoctoral researcher in Machine Learning Ethics at the Helmholtz Centre forInformation Security (CISPA). Her research focuses on AI ethics, fairness, privacy, causality, and leveraging prior knowledge to enhance AI performance and trust worthiness. Ruta earned her Ph.D. from Inria Saclay-Ile-de-France, LIX École Polytechnique, and IP Paris. She also holds an MSc with Distinction from the University of Edinburgh and both MA and BA degrees from Vilnius University.
Her diverse background in cultural anthropology, history, and data science enables her to tackle complex interdisciplinary questions in ethical AI. Her work has been published in top journals and conferences such as NeurIPS, ACM FaCCT, and CLEAR. She is a recipient of the Google WTM Scholar Award for 2020-2021. Ruta has contributed to the education and coaching in AI. She co-designed and taught a course on ML Fairness at Aivancity, an interdisciplinary AI and business school in Paris. She is also the author of educational material on Algorithmic Media, a project in partnership with the NGO Meno Avilys and the British Council Lithuania, aimed at high school students. Additionally, she serves as a Data Science coach for primary schools in Lithuania in collaboration with Teachers Lead Tech.
Ruta is active in organizing and chairing AI-related events that emphasize interdisciplinary, diversity and inclusion. She co-organized the Interdisciplinary Workshop on Fairness in AI, bringing together over 50 researchers from social sciences, computer sciences, and legal studies. She also co-organized the AI Ethics Workshop at LIX, École Polytechnique, and chaired the Diversity and Inclusion committee at the ECML PKDD 2024 in Vilnius.
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