About
Professor Tim Dodwell holds a personal chair in Machine Learning at the University of Exeter, spanning the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Institute of Data Science and AI. He leads the Data Centric Engineering Group and serves as co-founder and CTO of digiLab, a deep tech startup. His prestigious appointments include a 5-year Turing AI Fellowship from the Alan Turing Institute and the Romberg Visiting Professorship at Heidelberg University in Scientific Computing.
His academic foundation includes a 1st class BSc in Mathematics from the University of Bath (2004-2008) and a PhD in Applied Mathematics from the Bath Institute of Complex Systems (2009-2012), where he researched variational models for complex materials under Professors Giles Hunt and Mark Peletier.
Dodwell's research pioneers the intersection of applied mathematics, probabilistic machine learning, and high-performance computing, with signature contributions to Multilevel Methods in Bayesian Inverse Problems, Generative Hybrid Modelling, and Machine Learning in Safety Critical Engineering. His work bridges theoretical data science with industrial applications across nuclear fusion, aerospace materials, air traffic control, nuclear decommissioning, water treatment, and urban solar energy systems.
His major recognitions include:
- Turing AI Fellowship (2019-2024)
- Romberg Visiting Professorship at Heidelberg University
- Visiting Professorship at MIT
- Prize Fellowship in Engineering Mathematics (2013-2015)
- Pro Vice Chancellors Fellowship (2015-2018)
Through competitive fellowships and digiLab initiatives, Dodwell secures funding for uncertainty quantification research while driving real-world impact in sustainability sectors. His dual academic-industry roles enable rapid translation of theoretical advances into engineering solutions, particularly through digiLab's twinLab platform which delivers 60,000x acceleration in simulation workflows.
He directs the Data Centric Engineering Group at Exeter and co-founded digiLab's multidisciplinary team comprising AI specialists, domain experts, and educators. The organization operates through three synergistic pillars: developing AI solutions for critical infrastructure, building the twinLab platform for industrial ML deployment, and running an ML academy for practitioner training through datacamps, internships, and specialized courses.
