Nigerian-born AI Researcher & Software Engineer Emmanuel Okang Edim Receives IEEE President’s Coin at UK Parliament

Oluchi Chibuzor

Nigerian artificial intelligence researcher and software engineer Emmanuel Okang Edim has received the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) President’s Coin. It was presented to him personally by the 2026 IEEE President and CEO, Mary Ellen Randall, at the UK Parliament in London on 3 November 2026.

Edim is Vice President of the IEEE Student Branch at the University of Greater Manchester (UGM), Bolton, and an Associate Researcher at the university’s Centre of Intelligence of Things (CIoTh). He was called forward to receive the coin by Professor Celestine Iwendi, who leads CIoTh, at a parliamentary gathering of academic, technology and government leaders that included the UK Minister for Artificial Intelligence, Kanishka Narayan MP.

Recognised For Service, Not A Single Result

Edim received the coin for his dedication, leadership and innovation in developing and initiating sustainable technology for humanity, and for his service.

The IEEE President’s Coin is not a conference prize or a certificate of attendance. It is a personal acknowledgement from the elected head of IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organisation, given to people whose work reflects its mission of advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.

The timing made the point plainly. Less than 24 hours before he stood in Parliament, Edim had been running registration, the programme, speakers and audio-visual control at the opening event of the same series, on software he wrote himself.

The organiser behind November to Remember
November to Remember opened on 2 November 2026 at the Senate Building, University of Greater Manchester, Bolton, under the theme “Intelligent Futures: AI, Innovation and Human Flourishing”. CIoTh co-hosted the day with the IEEE UK and Ireland Section, and the series closed the next day with the IEEE programme at Parliament, which Edim attended as a delegate.
As Vice President of the IEEE UGM Student Branch, Edim was one of the event’s key organisers. He led three areas, registration, which he opened and managed for months before the event; programme, which he designed and produced in both online and printed formats and speaker relations and audio-visual control, keeping every speaker’s session in step with the room’s AV setup on the day.

The day brought together speakers, a panel debate on ethics and empathy in AI, and poster sessions. One poster presenter reported meeting a prospective angel investor who promised to be the first to invest.
The platform that ran the event
The event ran from first sign-up to final feedback on RaveHQ (ravehq.org), the event platform Edim founded and built. It handled nine jobs, from the website, registration and a branded profile-picture maker to door check-in, the live online room and the post-event survey.
RaveHQ processed 287 registrations over 70 days and 104 check-ins on the day, capturing all 34 walk-ins by name. It sent 1,143 emails to 282 people with 94.3% delivery, half of them scheduled reminders that brought in 88 sign-ups in the final week. It also managed 76 volunteers and 39 poster presenters, and attendees made 76 branded profile pictures to share.
That is the technology for humanity the coin recognised: software that carries the repetitive work so a small team can focus on people.
A record built across research, teaching and industry
Edim has authored or co-authored about 17 research papers on deployable AI, from TinyML for early COPD detection to explainable intrusion detection across IoT devices. He wrote four chapters of the forthcoming CRC Press book Artificial Intelligence in Global Trade and Supply Chain Management, edited by Professor Iwendi and carrying a contribution from WTO Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. He became an Associate Fellow of Advance HE in September 2026.
In Nigeria, he is a Visiting Research Associate at David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, where he helped deliver a training programme in October 2026, and he delivered the AI-in-banking day of the Zenith Bank Executive Programme in Lagos. His company Emediahome has delivered more than 200 websites in partnership with EDC, and he is a nominee for Young Digital Leader of the Year (Under 35) at the Digital Nigeria Honours 2026.

Edim is a PhD student in artificial intelligence. He studied for his MRes in Applied Artificial Intelligence at UGM and holds a BSc in Information Technology and Business Information Systems from Middlesex University.

Speaking on the award, he said that, “Holding a coin from the IEEE President in the Houses of Parliament is humbling, but what it honours is service. The day before, our team welcomed nearly 300 registrants to November to Remember. I built RaveHQ so a small team could do that without drowning in spreadsheets. For me, technology for humanity starts with giving people their time back.”

Edim thanked Professor Celestine Iwendi, CIoTh, the IEEE UK and Ireland Section, and the IEEE UGM Student Branch team and volunteers. The recognition adds his name to a growing list of young Nigerian researchers shaping how AI is built worldwide.