TimiOkoya

Work — Timileyin Okoya (preview)
Work & Research

Intelligent systems, built and taught

I am an engineer and systems leader focused on building intelligent infrastructure and developing technical talent in emerging markets. My work sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, robotics, and strategy — focused not just on building systems, but on building the people and institutions that can sustain them.

4Peer-reviewed publications
6Awards & honours
12Licenses & certifications
6Professional roles
Experience

Where I’ve worked

Research, engineering, and academic roles across Europe and Africa.

Lecturer

Lead City University Jan 2025 – Present · Ibadan, Nigeria · Full-time
  • Instruct undergraduate and postgraduate students across computing courses.
  • Develop and deliver lectures that bridge theory and real-world application.
  • Mentor students on academic projects, research methodology, and careers in AI, robotics, and software engineering.

Manuscript Editor (Faculty Journal)

Lead City University Feb 2026 – Present · Bridges: Integrative Journal of Science and Technology
  • Manage the peer-review workflow after editorial desk screening.
  • Identify and recommend qualified reviewers based on subject alignment.
  • Support editorial quality control and decision-making, and maintain the reviewer database.

Chief Technology Officer

Darey.io Aug 2024 · United Kingdom · Remote
  • Led technical strategy across AI-driven learning systems, LLM integration, and backend architecture.
  • Assessed and restructured engineering workflows across Python, Node, and React stacks.
  • Oversaw DevOps optimisation and cost-efficiency review.
  • Coordinated technical alignment between product, course delivery, and deployment teams.

Software Developer

OceanScan-MST May 2023 – Aug 2023 · Matosinhos, Porto, Portugal · Contract
  • Research collaborator on the WAVY-NOS European project (EEA Grants).
  • Automated underwater image collection and object (fish) detection using Detectron2.

Research Fellow

Institute for Systems and Robotics (ISR-Lisboa) Sep 2021 – Jun 2022 · Lisbon, Portugal · Full-time
  • Researched and developed techniques for group activity recognition and prediction from video and images, deployed on the PAL Tiago robot.
  • Initiated research on Theory of Mind and human–robot teams.

Support Technician

Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Jun 2018 – Feb 2019 · Genoa, Italy · Full-time
  • R&D in the Exoskeletons unit of the Advanced Robotics department.
  • Incorporated machine learning models into the control process of exoskeletons.
Publications

Selected papers

Peer-reviewed research in computer vision, predictive modelling, and applied AI.

Advancing Marine Ecosystem Conservation: Object Detection with AUVs and Real-Time Algorithms

ASP Journals · May 2026
Read abstract

Advancements in computer vision, particularly in image segmentation and object detection, are pivotal for marine ecosystem monitoring. This research investigates real-time object detection using masked convolutional neural networks implemented via Detectron2, leveraging the Google Open Images v7 dataset to evaluate precision, recall, Intersection over Union (IoU), and mean Average Precision (mAP). Through multiple training iterations under a transfer-learning paradigm, the study showcases the effectiveness of the proposed framework for automated, scalable marine ecosystem monitoring.

Deep Learning Platform Comparisons & A Predictive Model for Real-Time Offline Application

Ife Journal of Science · Aug 2025
Read abstract

This paper compares computing platforms suitable for deep learning applications, then focuses on predicting the torque required by an exoskeleton system designed to assist users in lifting objects with minimal effort. Using sensor data embedded within the exoskeleton, torque predictions are performed in an offline, real-time setting. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of predictive modelling for accurately estimating torque requirements from historical sensor data, with broader implications for assistive technologies.

An Intelligent Conversational Assistant for Automobile Fault Diagnostics

Glint Open Access · Feb 2025
Read abstract

Despite profound transformation in the automotive industry, traditional vehicle diagnostics still present significant challenges for owners and mechanics alike. This study develops an Intelligent Conversational Assistant for automobile fault diagnostics, built with Android Studio and Kotlin, and demonstrates the potential of AI and natural language processing for better diagnostic accuracy and improved user experience.

Energy-Aware HTTP-Based Mobile Video Streaming: An Experimental Study on Luminance Preprocessing

IEEE · Dec 2014
Projects

Research & engineering projects

Applied work spanning robotics, machine learning, and software systems.

SwiftER — Swift Emergency Response

Dec 2011 – Dec 2012 · Obafemi Awolowo University

A cloud-based Windows Phone solution to improve medical, security, and fire response to emergencies in third-world countries. Winning project for Team Gravity at the Microsoft Imagine Cup National Finals, presented at the World Finals representing West Africa Anglophone.

Path Planning of a Quadrotor UAV in an Industrial Environment

Mar – Jun 2015 · Sapienza University of Rome

Music Genre Classification using the CAL500 Dataset

Apr – May 2015 · Sapienza University of Rome

Compliant Motion Control: The Case of Constrained Motion

Jun – Sep 2014 · Sapienza University of Rome

Decision Tree Analysis using the WEKA API on a Noisy Wine Quality Dataset

Jun – Jul 2014 · Sapienza University of Rome

Humanoid Walking Motion Generation: A Comparison

Jan – Jul 2014 · Sapienza University of Rome

Deep Learning Platform Comparisons & A Predictive Model for Real-Time Offline Use

Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
Honours & Awards

Recognition

Fellowships, awards, and international competition results.

2026

TETFUND IBR – FUTA

Issued by TETFUND, Mar 2026 · Federal University of Technology, Akure

2024

Award of Excellence — Second Position, PhD Students Category

International Conference and Advanced Workshop on Modelling and Simulation of Complex Systems, May 2024 · for “Development of a Decentralized Reinforcement Learning Framework for Optimized Task Scheduling in Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Robotic Systems”

2021

Research Fellowship

FCT/MCTS (PIDDAC), Sep 2021 · Institute for Systems and Robotics (ISR-Lisboa)

2012

Winner, Nigeria National Finals — Microsoft Imagine Cup

Issued by Microsoft, Jul 2012 · Obafemi Awolowo University. Anglophone representative at the Imagine Cup World Finals (Australia 2012).

2011

Lagos State Bursary Award

Issued by Lagos State Government, Jan 2011 · Obafemi Awolowo University

2010

2nd Place, Nigeria National Finals — Microsoft Imagine Cup

Issued by Microsoft, Apr 2010 · Obafemi Awolowo University (Poland 2010)

Licenses & Certifications

Continuous learning

Professional certifications across AI, data science, and software engineering.

AWS Skills Centers: Demystifying Generative AI

AWS Training and Certifications · May 2025

AI Agents in LangGraph

DeepLearning.AI · Jun 2024

Prompt Engineering for Vision Models

DeepLearning.AI · May 2024

ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers

DeepLearning.AI · May 2024

Multi AI Agent Systems with CrewAI

DeepLearning.AI · May 2024

IEEE Xtreme 2.0

IEEE · Mar 2010

IEEE Xtreme 4.0

IEEE · Mar 2008

Rules for Successful Presentation and Business Pitches

FATE Foundation · Jun 2012

The CODATA-RDA Research Data Science Applied Workshop on IoT / Big-Data Analytics

CODATA · Jul 2017

Machine Learning

Coursera · Apr 2015

Welcome to Game Theory

Coursera · Mar 2015

The Data Scientist’s Toolbox

Coursera Verified Certificates · Mar 2015

Professional Bodies

Memberships

Professional and academic affiliations.

Engineers Without Borders Nigeria

Oct 2012 – Present

AIESEC

Aug 2010 – Present · AIESEC OAU LC and AIESEC Roma Sapienza · associated with Obafemi Awolowo University

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Jan 2006 – Present · Assistant Secretary General (OAU Student Branch) and Computer Society Chair (OAU Student Branch)

Focus & Tools

What I work with

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Machine Learning
  • Deep Learning
  • Computer Vision
  • Robotics
  • Robot Operating System (ROS)
  • Reinforcement Learning
  • Multi-Agent Systems
  • Human–Robot Interaction
  • Edge AI
  • IoT
  • Data Science
  • High Performance Computing
  • Python
  • PyTorch
  • TensorFlow
  • AWS
Let’s Work Together

Open to research, collaboration & teaching

Whether it’s a research collaboration, a robotics or intelligent-systems project, or a speaking and teaching opportunity — I’d like to hear about it.