Machine Learning · Neuroimaging · Healthcare AI
Lukman Enegi Ismaila, PhD
Research Faculty & Computational Scientist
F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging · Kennedy Krieger Institute
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences · Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
I am interested in building rigorous methods and responsible AI for healthcare: from brain-network models on fMRI to medical language models and equitable health data.
I work across machine learning, computational neuroimaging, and healthcare. My goal is to understand and translate complex medical data into efficient tools that make medical care better and fairer.
I am currently Research Faculty and Computational Scientist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, based at the F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, where I work under the mentorship of Dr. Ann Choe and Prof. Jim Pekar. My research uses graph theory and other computational methods to understand functional brain-network reorganization toward personalized biomarkers, and to study the interoception between the brain and the gut.
Alongside this work, I lead LLM research at BioRAMP Lab and serve on the project leadership of the Google-funded AfriMed-QA benchmark, the largest study of large language models in African clinical contexts.
I earned my Ph.D. in Computer Science (Signals, Images, Vision) at the LARIS Laboratory, University of Angers, France (2020 - 2023), under the supervision of Prof. David Rousseau, Dr. Pejman Rasti, and Dr. Jean-Michel Lemée. Working on the application of machine learning to neuroscience in collaboration with CHU Angers, my doctoral research demonstrated the use of machine-learning methods to automatically recognize functional brain networks from resting-state fMRI, helping preserve patients' neurological function during brain-tumor resection.
Before my Ph.D., I completed an MSc with Prof. Mohamed Hamada (University of Aizu, Japan) in collaboration with AUST, Abuja, and earned a First-Class BSc in Computer Science at Nile University of Nigeria under Prof. Steve A. Adeshina. Beyond the lab, I founded the Haleyouth Foundation and AfriBiobank, to build impact through youth empowerment and advance equitable access to health data.
Current Interest
Research at the intersection of ML & medicine
I study how the brain compensates for lost functional connectivity, how the brain and gut interact, and how to build medical language models and data systems that work fairly in real clinical settings.
Spinal cord injury & cortical reorganization
Multilayer network and graph models on fMRI revealing how brain networks reorganize after chronic SCI.
Read the paper Brain–GutGastric–brain fMRI coupling
Dynamic functional connectivity methods to trace how gastric rhythm shapes activity across brain regions.
View on Scholar Surgical AIBrain-tumor resection planning
Self-supervised models that recognize functional brain networks from rs-fMRI to protect neurological function in surgery.
Read the paperProjects
Building Impactful Solutions that transform lives
AfriBiobank
Africa's medical-imaging biobank. Federated learning lets institutions collaborate without sharing raw patient data. MIRASOL 2025 Top-3 Finalist.
Visit project Project Leadership TeamAfriMed-QA
The largest study of LLMs in African healthcare: 25,000 expert Q&A pairs across 32 specialties, 30+ models, 1,000+ clinicians. Funded by Google & Gates Foundation.
Visit project Research CollaborationECB · Cultural Bias in Image Models
Auditing how generative image models default to Global-North aesthetics, across six countries with a culture-aware evaluation framework.
Visit projectNeurosurgical Planning
Machine-learning recognition of functional brain networks from resting-state fMRI to preserve patients' neurological function during brain-tumor resection, with CHU Angers neurosurgery.
Recognition
Honors & Awards
Selected as a Top Three Finalist at the NextGen Interchange (Medical Image Computing in Resource-Constrained Settings, MIRASOL 2025), held in conjunction with MICCAI 2025, for the AfriBiobank project. Certificate dated Feb 9, 2026.
AfriBiobank project →Recognized among Honoris United Universities' 40 Under 40 alumni for impact in research and community.
Honoris 2024 report (PDF) →Best Postdoctoral Talk at the Gary W. Goldstein Research Symposium & Trainee Poster Day, Kennedy Krieger Institute / Johns Hopkins.
Research Day highlights →International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) Trainee Educational Stipend Award, Honolulu 2025 (declined).
ISMRM →International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) Trainee Educational Stipend Award, Singapore 2024.
ISMRM →Multi-stakeholder fellowship investigating the status of medical-imaging datasets in the African context for scientific research.
Fellowship profile →Fully funded doctoral research scholarship from the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) and Campus France, supporting my PhD in machine learning for neuroimaging at the University of Angers.
PTDF award →Competitive AfDB Excellence Scholarship that fully funded my MSc in Computer Science at the African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Abuja.
Awarded by Nile University of Nigeria for the software application that ran a smooth campus-wide electronic election.
Recognized as a facilitator for the STEM bootcamp program run by the WAAW Foundation.
3rd Overall Best Graduating Student in the Class of 2015, and 2nd Best Graduating Student in the Computer Science department, at Nile University of Nigeria.
Professional Activities
Roles, leadership & service
Services, Roles & Leadership
- Senior AI Engineer · BioRAMP Lab
- Lead ML Engineer / Project Manager · Omdena
- Project Leadership Team · AfriMed-QA
- Founder · Haleyouth Foundation
- Faculty · SPARK (African Medical Imaging AI)
- AI Mentor · Co.Lab (DTTP & YLALP)
- Sponsor Chair · DS4Health Africa (Deep Learning Indaba)
- Chair · Computer Vision 4 Health, SisonkeBiotik
Memberships & affiliations
- Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM)
- Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM)
- Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
- International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM)
- OHDSI African Chapter Working Group
- Datasphere Initiative · AI & Data Governance Fellow
- CV4Africa · Computer Vision research community
- United Nations Volunteers · Web Developer
Teaching
- Lecturer, Computer Science · Nile University of Nigeria (2017–2020)
- Visiting Lecturer · ESAIP, Angevine School of Engineering, Angers (2021–2022)
- Courses taught: algorithms & data structures, databases, computer architecture, computer networking, numerical analysis, mobile & web application programming, and university mathematics (calculus, set theory, integration).
Professional training & certification
In the Press
Media & features
Spotlight on innovation: Data Science for Health Ideathon across Africa
Google Research blog feature on the DS4Health Africa ideathon.
VanguardBreaking barriers to science in Africa · the AfriBiobank initiative
Feature on AfriBiobank and African health-data equity.
The Guardian (NG)Advanced machine learning for neurosurgery
On ML for brain-tumor resection and neurosurgical planning.
Honoris40 Under 40 Alumni Impact Award
Featured in the Honoris United Universities 2024 annual report.
DatasphereEmpowering Africa's health research through data sharing
Datasphere Initiative fellowship profile and features.
OmdenaMachine Learning Engineer Career at Omdena
Highlights of building an ML career through global collaboration, with a focus on addressing pressing problems in society [AI4Good].
UNGA80 · New York · 2025
Youth-led initiatives that build peace
Invited speaker at the UN General Assembly 80 SDG side event hosted by the Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF), SDGs Roundtable Round 2: "Youth-led Initiatives that Build Peace and Social Cohesion" · speaking to the work of Haleyouth Foundation.
Watch on YouTubeVideo UNGA80 SDG side event. Click to play.
LanAfrica · Invited Talk
LanAfrica invited talk
Invited talk at LanAfrica on machine learning, neuroimaging, and building responsible, impactful AI for healthcare and communities across Africa.
Watch on YouTubeVideo LanAfrica invited talk. Click to play.