News Story
Meet the 2026 KMi Summer Scholars
Friday 10 Jul 2026
(Image, left to right: Richelle Acheampong, Temmy Phillips, Timi Banjo)
KMi is delighted to welcome the 2026 cohort of Summer Scholars. Since 2020, the KMi Summer Scholarship programme has provided financial support, mentoring and research opportunities to young Black scholars interested in exploring cutting-edge areas of computing and technology.
This year’s scholarship adopts a new collaborative format centred on AI and society, encouraging scholars to explore not only how AI technologies work, but also how they shape communities, wellbeing and everyday life. Working together as a cohort, the scholars will contribute to one of three research streams: AI Awareness and Community Learning, Prototyping Future Technologies, and Discovery of AI Benefits and Harm.
The scholars are being supported by a team of KMi researchers and mentors. Research Stream 1 (AI Awareness and Community Learning) is supervised by Harith Alani, Alba Morales-Tirado and Audrey Ekuban, while Research Stream 2 (Prototyping Future Technologies) is supervised by Tracie Farrell, Aisling Third and Nancy Pontika.
Over the next eight weeks, our scholars will work alongside KMi researchers and mentors to develop innovative projects that combine technical curiosity with social impact. We are excited to introduce this year’s cohort.
Richelle Acheampong: Building AI Understanding Through Community Learning
Richelle is a first-year Computer Science student at Loughborough University. Originally from Milton Keynes and of Ghanaian heritage, she is particularly interested in artificial intelligence, machine learning and Python programming.
Beyond her studies, Richelle enjoys painting, roller skating and clay sculpting.
Richelle is working within Research Stream 1: AI Awareness and Community Learning, which focuses on developing educational resources that help communities better understand artificial intelligence. Her enthusiasm for teaching and community outreach stems from previous volunteering experience, where she helped children learn about internet safety.
“I really feel passionate about helping people, and since AI is a big part of the future, I think this would be really exciting to help people who aren’t well versed in technology to understand it.”
Through the scholarship, Richelle hopes to gain valuable research experience and contribute work that has a meaningful impact on people’s lives, while exploring how research can help address real-world challenges.
Temmy Phillips: Designing AI for Wellbeing
Temmy is 18 years old, currently taking a gap year in Bedford, and works part-time as a tutor at Explore Learning. Having completed A-levels in Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science and Further Mathematics a year early, Temmy plans to begin a degree apprenticeship in electro-mechanical engineering in 2027.
Outside engineering, Temmy is a music producer and the creator of Momentus, an original science-fiction franchise that has been under development for nearly a decade.
Temmy is participating in Research Stream 2: Prototyping Future Technologies, where the cohort is exploring how AI can support personal wellbeing. Building on a wearable device previously developed through the award-winning Band4Life project, Temmy is adapting physiological sensing technologies to explore how AI might help monitor stress and anxiety in young people.
“What excites me is the shift in focus from ‘has something gone wrong?’ to ‘how is someone really doing?’ That change from reactive safety to proactive wellbeing feels like the right kind of challenge for a summer project.”
Through the scholarship, Temmy hopes to gain hands-on research experience, develop a working prototype, and deepen an understanding of how AI and hardware can be combined responsibly to support people’s wellbeing.
Timi Banjo: Creating Accessible and Trustworthy AI
Timi Banjo is a Year 13 student from London who studies Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics and German. Timi has accepted a conditional offer to study MEng Integrated Computing at Imperial College London.
Alongside academic studies, Timi serves as programming lead for a VEX Robotics team that became UK national champions and achieved an eighth-place global ranking at the World Championships. Timi also edits a school magazine read by more than 1,000 students and has volunteered teaching programming through Aspire United Education.
Timi joins Research Stream 2: Prototyping Future Technologies, motivated by a desire to ensure that AI systems are designed around the needs of the communities they are intended to serve.
“The most important question in AI right now isn’t just ‘does this work?’ – it’s ‘does this work for the people who actually need it?'”
Drawing on experiences mentoring students and supporting learners from different backgrounds, Timi hopes to develop a prototype that is both technically robust and genuinely accessible. The scholarship offers an opportunity to learn within a research environment that treats AI as both a technical and a human challenge.
Looking Ahead
The 2026 cohort brings together an impressive combination of technical talent, creativity, curiosity and commitment to social impact. Throughout the summer, the scholars will collaborate with KMi researchers and one another to investigate how AI can support communities, improve understanding and contribute to a more equitable future.
We would like to extend our thanks to the KMi researchers, mentors and staff supporting this year’s programme. Together, we are looking forward to helping these talented scholars develop their ideas, build new skills and gain first-hand experience of research and innovation.
We are excited to work with this exceptional cohort over the coming weeks and look forward to seeing the creativity, insight and impact that emerge from their projects. We cannot wait to see the final outcomes of their work and to share their achievements with the wider KMi community.
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