8. Philip Emeagwali (1954 – Present)
Philip Emeagwale is a Nigerian –born engineer and computer scientist often named among the ranks of the world’s greatest living geniuses. He is known as the “father of the internet – supercomputer.”
He once shared that the inspiration for his invention came from bees. He wanted to make computers emulate the construction and operation of a beehive’s honeycomb.
His key invention is the world’s fastest computer, which performs computations at 3.1 billion calculations per second. Through his invention called the connection machine, he was able to achieve the fastest computational record of all time.
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Philip Emeagwale won the Gordon Bell Prize – the Nobel Prize of computer science – in 1989. He’s also won Scientist of the Year, Pioneer of the Year, the Distinguished Eagle Achievement Award, and the Nigerian Achiever of the Year, among others.
