Ryan Heuser is an Assistant Professor in Digital Humanities at the University of Cambridge, specializing in computational approaches to literary and intellectual history, prosody, and artificial intelligence's impact on language. His work bridges data science, machine learning, and literary studies through digital methodologies. Doctoral training in Eighteenth-Century British Literature, Stanford University (2019) Founding member & Associate Research Director, Stanford Literary Lab Junior Research Fellow, King’s College Cambridge (2019-2022) Research interests span computational modeling of semantic revolutions, large-scale literary field analysis, and the intersection of digital methods with historical and intellectual studies. His book Explorations in the Digital History of Ideas (2023) co-edited with Peter de Bolla exemplifies this approach. Recent publications focus on historical semantics, metrical analysis, and digital mapping of emotions in literature, reflecting his interdisciplinary expertise in natural language processing, network theory, and literary data visualization. Currently leads teaching initiatives at Cambridge Digital Humanities and contributes to computational projects exploring textual rhythms and large language models.
Yarin Gal is an Associate Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Oxford's Department of Computer Science and a Tutorial Fellow at Christ Church College. He is also a Turing AI Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute and Director of Research at the UK Government’s AI Safety Institute. He leads the Oxford Applied and Theoretical Machine Learning (OATML) Research Group, focusing on Bayesian deep learning, AI safety, and uncertainty quantification. Education PhD in Uncertainty in Deep Learning (2016) Research Interests His research integrates Bayesian methods with deep learning to address challenges in AI safety , uncertainty quantification , and robustness . Key areas include: Bayesian neural networks and approximate inference Uncertainty estimation in deep learning AI safety and interpretability Applications in autonomous driving, medical imaging, and NLP Publications & Trends His recent work spans Bayesian optimization , adversarial robustness , and continual learning . Notable contributions include Targeted Dropout for model pruning, Uncertainty in Autonomous Driving , and theoretical studies on adversarial examples in Bayesian networks. Awards & Honors Turing AI Fellow Teaching & Supervision He has taught Advanced Machine Learning , Uncertainty in Deep Learning , and contributed to NASA's Frontier Development Lab. His current students include Kelsey Doerksen, Gunshi Gupta, and Shreshth Malik. Labs & Teams He leads the OATML Group , a multidisciplinary team advancing theoretical and applied machine learning, with a focus on safety and interpretability in AI systems.
Professor Michael Ben-Gad is a Professor of Economics at City, University of London, where he has served since 2009. He previously held roles as Head of the Department of Economics (2010–2013) and Deputy Head (2008–2010). His research focuses on dynamic macroeconomics, taxation, public debt, immigration economics, and national security, with notable contributions to endogenous growth models and compositional data econometrics. He holds a PhD from the University of Chicago (1996) and has taught at institutions including the University of Houston and University of Haifa. Ben-Gad served on the U.S. National Academy of Sciences panel on immigration's economic and fiscal impacts (2014–2016) and received a 2017 Fellowship from the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). His work spans academic journals (Economic Modelling, Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control) and media outlets (BBC, CNBC, Al Jazeera), addressing topics like Brexit economics, fiscal policy, and geopolitical challenges. He co-convenes the City Branch of Academics for Academic Freedom and is a founding member of London Universities' Council for Academic Freedom. His research grants include funding from HM Treasury/ESRC on fiscal policy and immigration (2011), the Israel Science Foundation (2007–2008), and the Samuel Ne'eman Foundation (2004). Professional roles include editorial board membership for Economic Affairs and membership of the ESRC Grant Assessment Panel (2021). He is proficient in Hebrew and contributes to policy debates on taxation, macroprudential frameworks, and defense economics.
Prof. Ingmar Posner is a leading figure in applied artificial intelligence at the University of Oxford, where he serves as Principal Investigator for the Applied Artificial Intelligence Lab (A2I) and founding Director of the Oxford Robotics Institute. His work focuses on enabling robots to operate effectively in complex real-world environments through experience-driven learning. Key research areas: robot learning, scene interpretation, data-efficient learning, and transfer learning Applications in manipulation, autonomous driving, logistics, and space exploration His team has produced groundbreaking work in world models, sim-to-real transfer, and constraint-based manipulation systems (e.g., COMBO-Grasp). Notable contributions include the TWIST distillation framework and foundational research in tactile data generation (TactGen). He has received multiple best paper awards at top robotics venues. Publications reveal evolving research themes: 2025 work emphasizes language-conditioned learning (Lumos) and multi-agent decision-making, while 2024 focused on diffusion models for locomotion and differentiable simulators. Earlier work spans from urban scene analysis to physically plausible scene synthesis (RELATE).
Shimon Whiteson is Professor of Computer Science at the University of Oxford, leading the Whiteson Research Lab focused on reinforcement learning, multi-agent systems, and deep learning. His research develops algorithms for efficient learning in complex environments. Current work explores meta-reinforcement learning frameworks that enable agents to rapidly adapt to new tasks, with applications in autonomous driving simulation and robotics. Recent innovations include novel methods for offline reinforcement learning, multi-agent coordination, and morphology-aware control. Publications demonstrate advances in: Meta-RL algorithm design for few-shot adaptation Multi-agent reinforcement learning environments and benchmarks Imitation learning in autonomous driving Bayesian methods for sample-efficient learning Research outputs include widely used benchmarks and tools including JaxMARL for accelerated multi-agent RL research. Current doctoral supervision focuses on temporal abstraction in RL, multi-agent coordination, and reinforcement learning theory.
Yee Whye Teh is a Professor at the Department of Statistics, University of Oxford, and a research scientist at DeepMind. His work focuses on statistical machine learning, including probabilistic learning, Bayesian nonparametrics, deep learning, and Monte Carlo methods. He co-directs the ELLIS programme on Robust Machine Learning and has held roles such as Programme Co-chair for ICML 2017. Teh has delivered keynotes at UAI 2019, an IMS Medallion Lecture at JSM 2019, and the Breiman Lecture in 2017. His research emphasizes scalable inference algorithms, hierarchical models, and applications in genetics and natural language processing. Teh's educational background includes a PhD from the University of Toronto (2003) and a Master's from the same institution (2000). He has contributed to widely used software tools like the Sequence Memoizer and has been recognized for his work through prestigious lectureships. Research interests span Bayesian nonparametric models, MCMC methods, and their applications in genetics and data compression. His lab collaborates on projects like fragmentation-coagulation processes for genetic variation modeling and Mondrian forests for online learning. Teh advises students through Oxford's graduate programs, though he notes high demand for mentorship. His work often bridges theory and practice, addressing challenges in big data learning and small data problems.
Professor Hutan Ashrafian is a clinician-scientist and surgeon at the University of Leeds Business School, holding dual roles as Professor of Research Impact and Senior Research Fellow at Imperial College London. His expertise spans AI in healthcare, metabolic surgery, and ancient history. He pioneered STARD-AI and QUADAS-AI guidelines for AI diagnostics, collaborated on AI-driven breast cancer screening with Google and NHS, and led global health policy initiatives. Ashrafian’s work bridges medicine, history, and philosophy, including his contributions to understanding historical figures’ medical conditions, such as King Tutankhamun’s epilepsy. He has authored over 550 publications, 12 books, and holds a PhD in computational physiology and an MBA with distinction. Awards include the Hunterian Prize and Wellcome Trust Fellowship. His research also explores AI ethics, quantum physics paradoxes, and art-based medical diagnostics. Education: PhD in Computational Physiology (Imperial College London) MBA (Warwick Business School) MD (University College London) Bachelor of Science in Immunology (University College London) Research Interests: Ashrafian’s work spans: AI in Medicine: Diagnostic algorithms, guideline development (STARD-AI/QUADAS-AI), and ethical frameworks. Metabolic Surgery: Bariatric interventions, gut microbiome, and obesity treatments. Ancient History: Medical analyses of historical figures (e.g., Tutankhamun, Julius Caesar) and art-based pathology identification. Philosophy: AI rights (AIONAI law), temporal paradoxes, and the Simulation Argument. Awards: Royal College of Surgeons Arris and Gale Lectureship Hunterian Prize Wellcome Trust Research Fellowship Advising & Innovation: Supervised >50 PhD students, co-founded Oxford Medical Products (weight loss tech), and serves as CSO at Flagship Pioneering’s Preemptive Health division. He advises on NHS digital transformation and global health policy. Labs/Teams: Leads AI initiatives at Imperial’s Institute of Global Health Innovation and collaborates with Google, NICE, and international institutions on health tech solutions.
Adrian Weller is a prominent researcher and academic at the University of Cambridge, serving as a Director of Research in Machine Learning within the Department of Engineering. He holds multiple significant leadership roles including Programme Director for Trust and Society at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI), and previously served as Programme Director for AI at The Alan Turing Institute, the UK national institute for data science and AI. His work bridges theoretical machine learning research with practical applications and societal implications of artificial intelligence. Weller's research interests span a broad spectrum of AI and machine learning topics with a particular focus on ensuring beneficial societal outcomes. His work encompasses explainability, fairness, robustness, scalability, privacy, safety, and ethics in AI systems. He has made significant contributions to trustworthy machine learning, including developing frameworks for AI governance, certification, and human-AI collaboration. His research group actively investigates neuro-symbolic approaches, privacy-preserving techniques, and methods for improving the reliability and interpretability of AI systems. His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward addressing the practical challenges of deploying AI systems in real-world contexts, particularly focusing on certification frameworks, governance mechanisms, and human-centered approaches. His work spans theoretical advances in machine learning architectures while maintaining a strong connection to societal impact, with publications appearing in top venues across AI, machine learning, and interdisciplinary applications. Scientific Awards: MBE for services to digital innovation (2022 Queen's Birthday Honours) Turing AI Fellowship for Trustworthy Machine Learning Weller actively supervises a large group of PhD students and postdocs, with current students including Juyeon Heo, Yanzhi Chen, Katie Collins, Isaac Reid, Yichao Liang, Herbie Bradley, and Shoaib Siddiqui. His former students have gone on to positions at leading institutions including Google DeepMind, ETH Zurich, NYU, and MPI-IS Tübingen. He has served on numerous advisory boards including the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, UNESCO's expert group on AI ethics, and the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on AI. His research has been supported through his Turing AI Fellowship and various collaborative projects focused on safe and ethical AI development. Weller leads a vibrant research group focused on trustworthy machine learning, which actively organizes workshops and conferences including ICML 2024 (where he served as Program Chair), multiple workshops on responsible AI, and events through the ELLIS network. His group collaborates extensively across disciplines, working with researchers in computer science, social sciences, law, and policy to address the multifaceted challenges of developing beneficial AI systems.
Dr. Leanne Archer is a Researcher in the School of Geographical Sciences at the University of Bristol, specializing in hydrology and climate change impacts. Her work focuses on flood risk assessment in Small Island Developing States, extreme rainfall events, and the application of convection-permitting climate models. She collaborates with experts like Prof. Paul Bates and Dr. Jonty Rougier on interdisciplinary projects addressing tropical cyclone hazards and climate adaptation strategies. Her research interests include analyzing flood exposure in vulnerable regions, soil moisture dynamics in urban flooding, and improving global flood forecasts for humanitarian operations. Archer’s publications emphasize the implications of climate change on rainfall-driven disasters, particularly in Puerto Rico and East Africa, using high-resolution climate projections to evaluate future risks under 1.5° C and 2° C warming scenarios. Recent work explores innovations like the Surface Water Ocean Topography Mission for flood modeling and evaluates the suitability of TanDEM-X data for inundation studies in island nations. Her contributions bridge environmental science with policy, aiming to enhance disaster preparedness and resilience in climate-sensitive regions.
Tomaso Aste is a Professor of Complexity Science at the Department of Computer Science, University College London (UCL). He founded the Financial Computing and Analytics group and co-founded the UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies. His work bridges complex systems, data science, and finance, with applications in blockchain, fintech, and market modeling. Education: PhD in Physics (Politecnico di Milano, 1994); Laurea in Physics (University of Genoa, 1990) Prior Appointments: Reader at University of Kent's School of Physics; Associate Professor at Australian National University's Applied Mathematics His research focuses on data-driven modeling of complex systems , particularly financial systems, complex networks, and statistical physics. He has pioneered information filtering networks and topological machine learning methods for financial applications, including portfolio optimization, risk assessment, and cryptocurrency analysis. Recent publications highlight his expertise in financial time-series analysis, blockchain technology, and AI-driven modeling. Articles explore topics like limit order books, cryptocurrency market fragility, and topological neural networks. His work has influenced regulatory technology (RegTech) frameworks and digital economy strategies. Scientific Awards : Marie Curie Individual Fellowship University of Genoa graduate study specialization Fellowship Bacheflor Boncompagni-Ludovisi Foundation Fellowship Awarded fellowships from European Commission and academic foundations support his interdisciplinary research. He has held editorial roles at journals like Philosophical Magazine and Granular Matter , and contributed to professional societies including American Physical Society and Australian Research Council panels. Teaching & Academic Leadership : Co-created four UCL Master's programs: Financial Risk Management, Computational Finance, Financial Technologies, Emerging Digital Technologies Coordinates executive training on AI, blockchain, fintech, and regtech for regulators and private firms Teaches graduate-level courses in Data-Driven Modeling, Data Science, and Advanced AI
Dagfinn Aune serves as a Research Fellow at the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics within the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London. He concurrently holds positions as Associate Professor at Oslo New University College and Senior Researcher at the Cancer Registry of Norway in Oslo. His work centers on large-scale epidemiological investigations into diet, obesity, and chronic disease mechanisms across international populations. Education: PhD in Epidemiology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (2016) MSc in Nutrition, University of Oslo (2008) Research interests focus on the interplay between dietary patterns, adiposity, physical activity, and smoking with chronic disease outcomes. His work examines how these factors influence cancer risk (particularly breast, gastrointestinal, and hematological malignancies), pregnancy complications, diabetes progression, and mortality across diverse populations. He employs systematic review methodologies and analyzes data from major cohorts including EPIC and Norwegian registries. Publication trends reveal consistent emphasis on obesity-cancer relationships, with recent work (2023-2025) expanding into metabolomic mediators, cardiometabolic interactions, and rare cancer epidemiology. His research frequently utilizes systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and multinational cohort studies to establish evidence for cancer prevention guidelines. Scientific Awards: No awards specified in source materials Advising and grant activity centers on major collaborative projects including the World Cancer Research Fund's Continuous Update Project, the EPIC study, and South American case-control research. While specific student mentorship isn't documented, his leadership in systematic review protocols suggests substantial training responsibilities. His grant portfolio includes funding from WCRF International and Norwegian research councils for large-scale epidemiological analyses. Labs and teams include the Centre for Translational Nutrition and Food Research at Imperial College London, where he collaborates with nutrition scientists and biostatisticians. He maintains active roles in the EPIC consortium and WCRF International's CUP Global Programme, coordinating multinational analyses of diet-cancer relationships through the Cancer Registry of Norway.
Erik Ketzan is a Lecturer in Digital Humanities and Cultural Computation at King's College London. He holds a PhD in English/Digital Humanities from Birkbeck, University of London, and has held postdoctoral roles at the University of Cologne and Trinity College Dublin, where he coordinated the MA in Digital Humanities and Culture. His research focuses on computational literary studies, legal/ethical issues in digital research, and corpus stylistics. He has published widely on topics such as Thomas Pynchon’s computational stylistics, legal frameworks for digital humanities research, and gender bias in historical texts. His work includes developing tools like Coleto for textual variant analysis and co-authoring the book *Thomas Pynchon and the Digital Humanities* (2022). Ketzan actively engages in policy advocacy, advising on copyright and data protection in DH, and has contributed to projects like CLARIN and the Leibniz Institute for the German Language. Education: PhD in English/Digital Humanities, Birkbeck, University of London Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Cologne (EncycNet Project) Postdoctoral Research and Teaching Fellow, Trinity College Dublin Research Interests: Computational approaches to literary analysis, legal challenges in data-driven research, corpus stylistics, and gender studies in historical corpora. Teaching: Courses include Python for the humanities, computational literary studies, and legal issues in digital humanities.
Andrew Zisserman is a Royal Society Research Professor at the University of Oxford's Department of Engineering Science, affiliated with the Visual Geometry Group (VGG). His research focuses on computer vision, artificial intelligence, and neural networks, with significant contributions to multimodal learning, video understanding, and 3D scene analysis. He leads projects exploring visual-language models, audio-visual synchronization, and clinical imaging applications. Key research areas include: Video analysis and temporal modeling Multimodal systems for sign language translation and action recognition 3D shape estimation and physical property inference Foundation models and cross-modal retrieval Recent work highlights: Developed Flamingo and Tapir models for video-language tasks Advancements in spinal MRI analysis and clinical imaging Leadership in EGO4D and VoxCeleb challenges Honors include Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS) and the ISSLS Prize in Clinical Science 2023 for spinal analysis innovations. His lab collaborates globally, emphasizing real-world applications in healthcare and autonomous systems.
Simon King is a Professor of Speech Processing at the University of Edinburgh , affiliated with the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences . He serves as Director of the Centre for Speech Technology Research (CSTR) and teaches courses like Speech Processing and Speech Synthesis , while directing the MSc in Speech and Language Processing . Research Interests His research focuses on: Developing new acoustic models (e.g., Linear Dynamical Models, factorial-HMMs) for speech recognition Advancing unit selection and HMM-based speech synthesis Integrating articulatory measurement data for enhanced modeling Exploring perceptual measures in synthesis criteria Building multilingual speech systems to identify universal speech building blocks Publication Trends Simon's recent work emphasizes deep learning (DNNs, LSTMs) in speech synthesis, multilingual frameworks , and articulatory-acoustic feature integration . His studies often bridge grapheme-based modeling , perceptual error reduction , and noise-robust synthesis . Scientific Awards EPSRC Advanced Research Fellowship (2005-2009) Students & Collaborations He has supervised numerous PhD students including Rasmus Dall, Tom Merritt, and Srikanth Ronanki. Current research fellows like Mirjam Wester and Zhizheng Wu contribute to projects such as Natural Speech Technology (NST) and Simple4All .
Michael A Osborne is Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Oxford and leads the Bayesian Exploration Lab . He serves as Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Autonomous Intelligent Machines and Systems and co-directs the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative. His research focuses on Bayesian optimization, Gaussian processes, and probabilistic numerics with applications in quantum devices, battery modeling, and AI governance. Key Positions: Professor of Machine Learning, University of Oxford Official Fellow, Exeter College Co-founder of Mind Foundry Lead Researcher, Oxford Martin Programme on Technology and Employment Research Themes: Probabilistic modeling for quantum systems Uncertainty quantification in energy storage AI safety and societal impact analysis Automated experimental design Quantum device calibration Probabilistic numerical methods Technical Contributions: Bridging reality gap in quantum devices Efficient Bayesian quadrature techniques Personalized neurostimulation algorithms Automated measurement protocols Quantum-classical hybrid ML
