PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Moustapha Cissé

Also known as Mouhamadou Moustapha Cissé

Moustapha Cissé is an AI researcher and entrepreneur whose papers include Parseval Networks, Houdini, and an adaptive softmax method for language models. He earned a computer-science doctorate in France in 2014 and joined Facebook AI Research in Paris in 2016. In 2018 Google recruited him to head its first AI center in Africa, in Accra, Ghana, and he founded the African Masters of Machine Intelligence at AIMS. In 2023 he founded Kera Health Platforms, an AI-powered digital health startup, and in September 2024 he launched Sura, a venture developed by that startup. TIME named him to its 2026 TIME100 AI list in the Leaders category, and he is founder and CEO of Kera Health Platforms, based in Senegal.

Now at
Kera Health Platforms and National Digital Council of Senegal
Works
82
Citations
7,027
h-index
23

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 2010–2014

    Studies in Senegal and France

    He holds a mathematics and physics degree from Gaston Berger University in Senegal. He earns a master's in artificial intelligence in 2010 and a computer-science doctorate at Pierre and Marie Curie University in France in 2014.

  2. 2016–2018

    Research at Facebook AI

    He joins Facebook AI Research in Paris in 2016. He co-authors Efficient softmax approximation for GPUs, which introduces adaptive softmax for training language models over large vocabularies.

  3. 2017

    Parseval Networks and Houdini

    He co-authors Parseval Networks, submitted to arXiv in April 2017. He also co-authors Houdini, a method for generating adversarial examples.

  4. 2018

    Google's AI center in Accra

    Google recruits him in 2018 to head its first AI center in Africa, in Accra, Ghana. In September 2018, AIMS launches the African Masters of Machine Intelligence, which he founds and directs.

  5. 2023

    Founding Kera Health Platforms

    He founds Kera Health Platforms in 2023, an AI-powered digital health startup. He leaves Google to devote himself to his own work.

  6. September 2024

    Launching Sura

    In September 2024 he launches Sura, a venture developed by Kera Health Platforms.

  7. 2026

    Named to TIME100 AI

    TIME names him to its 2026 TIME100 AI list in the Leaders category. Sura begins its rollout in Côte d'Ivoire in 2026.

  8. As of October 2026

    Founder and CEO of Kera

    He is founder and CEO of Kera Health Platforms, based in Senegal. He is also a member of Senegal's National Digital Council.

Sources and credits

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  1. Le Sénégalais Moustapha Cisse met l’IA au service de la santé - We are Tech wearetech.africa. Checked 15 October 2026.
  2. Qui est le Sénégalais à la tête du premier centre d’intelligence artificielle de Google en Afrique? | Le360 Afrique afrique.le360.ma. Checked 15 October 2026.
  3. [1609.04309] Efficient softmax approximation for GPUs arxiv.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  4. [1704.08847] Parseval Networks: Improving Robustness to Adversarial Examples arxiv.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  5. [1707.05373] Houdini: Fooling Deep Structured Prediction Models arxiv.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  6. About - African Masters Of Machine Intelligence aimsammi.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  7. AIMS launches African Master’s in Machine Intelligence - ITEdgeNews itedgenews.africa. Checked 15 October 2026.
  8. Moustapha Cissé quitte Google pour lancer KERA, une plateforme d’intelligence artificielle pour la santé osiris.sn. Checked 15 October 2026.
  9. Sénégal: le chercheur Moustapha Cissé dans le top 100 mondial des personnalités les plus influentes en IA digitalmag.ci. Checked 15 October 2026.
  10. Intelligence artificielle : Le Sénégalais Moustapha Cissé dans le Top 100 mondial de TIME aux côtés d’Elon Musk senego.com. Checked 15 October 2026.
  11. AIMS Network Celebrates Moustapha Cissé’s Inclusion in the TIME100 Most Influential People in AI (2026) – AIMS Senegal aims-senegal.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  12. Le Sénégalais Moustapha Cissé intègre le prestigieux TIME100 AI 2026, aux côtés d’Elon Musk et de Sam Altman osiris.sn. Checked 15 October 2026.
  13. Moustapha Cisse | Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation healthdata.org. Checked 15 October 2026.