David Nyarko

Applied AI & Robotics Software Engineer

2025 HBCUniverse 30 Under 30 | 2020 Best Student in Engineering in Ghana

Graduate Research Lead and Doctoral Engineering student at Morgan State University. Building breakthrough autonomous systems, winning $100K+ in competitions, and developing AI solutions that transform industries and serve humanity.

Robotics Engineer AI/ML Architect Autonomous Drone Systems Indie Game Developer Full-Stack Developer
$102K+ Competition Winnings
10+ Major Awards
BWI Airport Research
Get In Touch
David Nyarko - Professional Photo
Emory University
Emory University
Capital One & Delaware State University
CEAMLS
Morgan State University
SETI Institute
University of Cape Coast
Ghana Tertiary Awards
MIT
NSBE
Emory University
Emory University
Capital One & Delaware State University
CEAMLS
Morgan State University
SETI Institute
University of Cape Coast
Ghana Tertiary Awards
MIT
NSBE
Emory University
Emory University
Capital One & Delaware State University
CEAMLS
Morgan State University
SETI Institute
University of Cape Coast
Ghana Tertiary Awards
MIT
NSBE
Emory University
Emory University
Capital One & Delaware State University
CEAMLS
Morgan State University
SETI Institute
University of Cape Coast
Ghana Tertiary Awards
MIT
NSBE
Emory University
Emory University
Capital One & Delaware State University
CEAMLS
Morgan State University
SETI Institute
University of Cape Coast
Ghana Tertiary Awards
MIT
NSBE
Emory University
Emory University
Capital One & Delaware State University
CEAMLS
Morgan State University
SETI Institute
University of Cape Coast
Ghana Tertiary Awards
MIT
NSBE
Emory University
Emory University
Capital One & Delaware State University
CEAMLS
Morgan State University
SETI Institute
University of Cape Coast
Ghana Tertiary Awards
MIT
NSBE
Emory University
Emory University
Capital One & Delaware State University
CEAMLS
Morgan State University
SETI Institute
University of Cape Coast
Ghana Tertiary Awards
MIT
NSBE
Emory University
Emory University
Capital One & Delaware State University
CEAMLS
Morgan State University
SETI Institute
University of Cape Coast
Ghana Tertiary Awards
MIT
NSBE
Emory University
Emory University
Capital One & Delaware State University
CEAMLS
Morgan State University
SETI Institute
University of Cape Coast
Ghana Tertiary Awards
MIT
NSBE

About Me

Award-winning AI engineer and Doctoral Engineering student at Morgan State University.

With over $102K+ in competition winnings and recognition from top-tier institutions including MIT, SETI Institute, and Capital One, my breakthrough work in autonomous systems and accessible technology has been featured in major media outlets and is making real-world impact through innovative solutions that serve humanity.

Featured in Major News

My innovative work has been covered by leading publications and recognized by top institutions

Forbes

"

Likewise, David Nyarko, a Ph.D. student at Morgan State University, is also on the list and works on autonomous wheelchair technology at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.

"
— Forbes, October 2025
Forbes

I Made it to Forbes! Featured as HBCUniverse 30 Under 30

Featured in Forbes for being recognized on the HBCUniverse 30 Under 30 list, highlighting my research contributions in AI, robotics, and accessibility innovation including Morgan State University's UrbanFlow autonomous wheelchair technology at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Read Forbes Article →
David Nyarko - HBCUniverse 30 Under 30
Morgan State University

I Was Honored as 2025 HBCUniverse 30 Under 30

Named among six Morgan State students and alumni recognized in the 2025 HBCUniverse 30 Under 30 cohort, highlighting exceptional young leaders from HBCUs making their mark across industries as the next generation of changemakers.

Read Morgan State →

Read WEAA 88.9 FM →
MIT AI Education Summit Award
MIT AI & Education Summit

Led My Team to Win First Place at MIT Hackathon

First Place Winner at the MIT AI & Education Summit Hack the Climate Challenge for innovative ThermaWise project, demonstrating excellence in climate-focused AI solutions and securing top achievement among competing teams.

Read MIT Coverage →
NSBE - Engineering Leadership
National Society of Black Engineers

Engineering Newsmaker Gives Credit to NSBE

Featured as an emerging engineering leader making significant contributions to AI and robotics innovation while giving back to the global engineering community through NSBE.

Read NSBE Article →
Baltimore Banner - BWI Wheelchair News
The Baltimore Banner

Self-driving wheelchairs could someday transport passengers with disabilities to BWI's gates

Graduate Research Lead on a 5-year Morgan State University project developing autonomous wheelchairs for airport accessibility, with Phase 3 testing at BWI Airport demonstrating breakthrough mobility solutions.

Read Baltimore Banner →

Watch WMAR News →
AFRO American Newspapers Feature
AFRO American Newspapers

Morgan State University Transportation Innovations

Featured coverage of Morgan State's autonomous wheelchair innovations and the impact on accessibility technology for the African American community and beyond.

Read AFRO Article →
Baltimore Business Journal Coverage
Baltimore Business Journal

Morgan State develops self-driving wheelchairs for airports

Business coverage of the innovative autonomous wheelchair technology being developed and tested for commercial airport implementation.

Read Business Journal →
Claby Robot Innovation
Punch Newspapers & YEN.com.gh

Ghanaian Students Showcase Robot for Feeding People

International coverage of innovative Claby robot designed to assist people without hands, showcasing African innovation in assistive technology.

Read Punch News →

Read YEN.com.gh →

Key Achievements

Breakthrough innovations and recognition demonstrating technical excellence and real-world impact

30
UNDER
30
2025

HBCUniverse 30 Under 30

Position: Graduate Research Fellow & Ph.D. Candidate
Named to 2025 HBCUniverse 30 Under 30 cohort recognizing exceptional HBCU students making their mark as the nation's most promising young leaders

1st
PLACE
$100K

Innovation Pitch Competition Winner

Position: Team Lead & Technical Architect
$100,000 seed funding - Capital One/Delaware State University Innovation Pitch Competition (AgroVision)

1st
PLACE
MIT

MIT AI & Education Summit

Position: Technical Lead & AI Developer
1st Place Winner - MIT AI & Education Summit Hack the Climate Challenge (ThermaWise project)

1st
PLACE
CEAMLS

National Symposium on Equitable AI

Position: Research Lead & Presenter
1st Place, Poster Presentation - 2025 National Symposium on Equitable AI, CEAMLS

1st
PLACE
$2K

Morgan TechFest 2024 Winner

Position: AI Systems Developer & Presenter
1st Place, Morgan TechFest 2024 Innovation Expo - $2,000 prize for outstanding innovation

2nd
PLACE
EMORY

Emory Health AI Datathon

Position: Data Scientist & ML Engineer
2nd Place Winner, Emory University Health AI Datathon 2024 (12 teams competed)

CERT
EMORY

Emory Summer School Certificate

Position: Research Participant & Scholar
Certificate of Participation, Health AI Summer School, Symposium & Datathon @ Emory 2024

CERT
SETI

FDL Certificate of Achievement

Position: Research Fellow & AI Specialist
Outstanding Performance - FDL 2023 & U.S. Department of Energy, SETI Institute

WINNER
GTA

Best Student in Engineering

Position: Outstanding Student & Academic Leader
Winner, Best Student in Engineering - Ghana Tertiary Awards 2020

RISING
STAR
UCC

Rising Star in Embedded Programming

Position: Top Emerging Programmer & Innovator
Winner, Rising Star in Embedded Programming - PHYSAG Excellence Awards 2021

WINNER
UCC

Most Innovative Student

Position: Top Innovation Leader & Dean's Award Recipient
Winner, Most Innovative Engineering Physics Student - UCC Dean's Award 2017

Research Publications

Research contributions to the fields of AI, machine learning, and computer vision

Journal Paper
2024

ELT: Easy Label Trainer

David Nyarko, Kelechi Nwachukwu, Anjolie Anthony, Kofi Nyarko

Springer Nature, Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems

This paper presents ELT-Easy Label Trainer (ELT), a tool designed to automate and streamline the process of labeling and training object detection models. It integrates advanced models like YOLOv8, YOLOv9, and YOLO-World for robust object detection and segmentation using descriptive text prompts.

📄 Read Paper 🎓 Google Scholar
Conference Abstract
2023

Finding Indicators of Nuclear Activity in Open-Source Images using AI/ML

R Alvarez, A Gazda, A Sarkar, David Nyarko, JJA Hastings, P Sivasankar

AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts 2023, IN33C-0735

An interorganizational approach to increase nuclear safeguards through AI/ML analysis of open-source satellite imagery for detecting indicators of nuclear activity.

📄 ADS Abstract
Conference Abstract
2023

Leveraging Synthetic Image Data for Real-World Applications

R Alvarez, JJA Hastings, A Gazda, A Sarkar, P Sivasankar, David Nyarko

AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts 2023, GC21F-0976

Enhancing nuclear safeguards and capabilities through AI/ML by leveraging synthetic image data for real-world applications in security and monitoring systems.

📄 ADS Abstract
Research Report
2023

FDL 2023 Research Contributions

David Nyarko and SETI Institute FDL Team

SETI Institute & U.S. Department of Energy

Research contributions to the Frontier Development Lab (FDL) 2023 program, focusing on applied artificial intelligence and machine learning for space science applications. Recognized for outstanding performance and achievements.

📖 View Publication
Open Source
2024

edge-tpu-silva Python Library

David Nyarko (Creator and Maintainer)

Open-Source Python Library for Edge Computing

A Python open-source library that helps run large models on Edge Computers, enabling efficient execution of computer vision tasks on resource-constrained devices. Pioneered efficient AI deployment for edge computing applications.

💻 GitHub Repository

Let's Work Together

Ready to discuss innovative AI solutions, research collaborations, or career opportunities?

Get In Touch

Email
danya3@morgan.edu
Location
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Institution
Morgan State University

Ready to Connect?

Whether you're interested in research collaborations, innovative AI projects, or exploring career opportunities, I'd love to hear from you.

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