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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.

• Artificial Intelligence
• Machine Learning
• Explainability
• +9 more

Andrew Stephen is the L’Oréal Professor of Marketing and Deputy Dean for Faculty and Research at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. He leads the Marketing faculty and directs the Oxford Future of Marketing Initiative, focusing on emerging technologies like AI and data-driven strategies in marketing, media, and advertising. His research explores digital marketing, consumer behavior, and the impact of new technologies, earning him recognition as a top global marketing scholar. His academic contributions span leading journals such as the Journal of Consumer Research and Harvard Business Review. He serves as editor of the Journal of Consumer Research, co-editor of the International Journal of Research in Marketing, and actively engages with industry through councils like the Mobile Marketing Association’s Brand Safety Council. Teaching responsibilities include marketing curriculum oversight and courses across MBA, Executive MBA, and DPhil programs, focusing on digital transformation, marketing analytics, and the future of marketing. His work bridges academic rigor with industry relevance, addressing challenges in tech-enabled marketing and global brand strategies. Awards: Top marketing academic in the UK (AMA), featured in Poets & Quants’ top 40 under 40, multiple research excellence awards. Labs/Initiatives: Oxford Future of Marketing Initiative, fostering collaborations with leading companies to tackle industry challenges. Grants/Advising: Extensive industry partnerships and academic grants not explicitly detailed in the text.

• Digital Marketing
• Social Media Strategy
• Consumer Behavior
• +5 more

Professor Stephen Graham at Newcastle University is a leading scholar in critical urban studies, focusing on the intersections of militarism, surveillance, and urban infrastructure. His work explores how cities are shaped by and become sites of geopolitical conflict, technological control, and social inequality. Research spans urban verticality , military urbanism , and digital surveillance . Key themes include infrastructure disruption , elite spatial practices , and post-conflict urbanism . Recent publications analyze the militarization of urban space , robotic imperialism , and surveillance societies . His "Splintering Urbanism" framework remains foundational for understanding fragmented urban networks. Current work investigates vertical geopolitics , elite bunkering , and smart city security , with a focus on planetary-scale urban systems and their vulnerabilities.

• Military Urbanism
• Urban Infrastructure
• Surveillance Studies
• +5 more

Dr Rod Thornton is a Senior Lecturer in Russian Defence and Security Studies at King’s College London, affiliated with the Defence Studies Department and School of Security Studies. He specializes in the Russian military's kinetic and sub-threshold warfare, with a focus on cyber capabilities, space warfare, and UK homeland resilience. His research includes recent British Academy-funded work on UK civil defense capacity during the pandemic, advocating for dedicated civil defense organizations. He has published extensively on Russian military tactics in Ukraine, AI-cyber integration, and space-based deterrence. Russian military cyber operations Space warfare dynamics UK resilience capacity gaps Scientific awards include a British Academy grant (2020). His students focus on asymmetric warfare, AI, cyber, and regional security issues. He teaches at the UK Defence Academy and has collaborated with institutions in Finland, South Korea, and the Freeman Air and Space Institute.

• Russian Armed Forces
• Sub-threshold Warfare
• Cybersecurity
• +3 more

Professor Andrew Murray is a leading academic in Law with expertise in New Media and Technology Law. He holds the position of Professor of Law at the LSE Law School and directs the LSE Law, Society and Technology Group. His research focuses on digital rights, AI ethics, and regulatory frameworks for emerging technologies. Murray has held roles including Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts and advisor to the Saudi Arabian government on e-commerce law. He has advised parliamentary committees, including the House of Lords Communications Committee on digital regulation, and delivered the prestigious TMC Asser Lecture on AI and human agency. Education: LL.B. Hons from Edinburgh University (1994), followed by academic roles at Stirling University and LSE since 2000. Professional memberships include the Society of Computers and Law (SCL) and the Higher Education Academy (HEA). He has been a visiting professor at Amsterdam Law and Technology Institute and Sciences Po Paris. Research interests span cyberspace regulation, AI governance, and the intersection of technology with human rights. Key publications include Human Rights in the Digital Age (2004) and The Regulation of Cyberspace (2007). Awards include recognition as an Independent Expert in Nominet UK dispute resolution (2001–2008) and a 2024 Leibniz Prize reviewer. Advocacy includes contributions to EU e-commerce directives and UK surveillance law debates. His work emphasizes balancing innovation with legal accountability in digital spaces.

• Internet and New Media Law
• AI and the Law
• Cyber Law Regulation
• +3 more

Professor Siân Bayne is a leading academic in digital education at the University of Edinburgh , where she serves as Assistant Principal for Education Futures and directs the Centre for Research in Digital Education . Her work bridges critical theory and practical innovation in higher education. Interdisciplinary research on digital education and futures studies Leadership in the Edinburgh Futures Institute and Moray House School of Education and Sport Global impact through UNESCO collaborations and UKRI GCRF projects Bayne’s research explores higher education futures , utopian theory , and digital enhancement , with a focus on: AI’s role in teaching and learning Ethical implications of educational technologies Anonymous social media in academic spaces Speculative scenarios for educational systems Global South digital education models Augmented reality applications in assessment Her 15 most recent publications span 2017-2025 , covering critical perspectives on: Generative AI and educational innovation Utopian design in universities Data governance in learning analytics Augmented reality pedagogy Digital cultural heritage Scientific recognition includes: IASH Sabbatical Fellowship (2023) Bayne leads Higher Education Futures initiatives and partners with institutions worldwide, including: UNESCO Global Education and Technology Report World Bank collaborations European university leadership programs She also drives major research centers like: Centre for Research in Digital Education UKRI GCRF Urban Disaster Risk Hub

• Higher Education Futures
• Utopian Studies
• Digital Education
• +9 more

Professor Lizelle Bisschoff is a Professor of Film Studies at the University of Glasgow’s School of Culture & Creative Arts. She specializes in African cinema with particular focus on gender representation, digital technologies, and film festival curation. Her research bridges academic scholarship and practical initiatives, such as co-founding the Africa in Motion Film Festival (AiM). She holds a PhD from the University of Stirling and has held prestigious fellowships including the Leverhulme Trust (2010-2012) and Lord Kelvin Adam Smith (2012-2015). Education: PhD in African Cinema (University of Stirling, 2009) MSc in Cultural Studies (University of Edinburgh, 2005) Research Interests: Gender dynamics in African filmmaking Emerging digital film industries across sub-Saharan Africa Postcolonial cinema and modernist aesthetics Her work emphasizes decolonizing film studies through projects like AiM Festival and edited volumes such as Women in African Cinema . Recent research explores African science fiction and feminist archives. She has secured £115k in grants for film restoration and educational outreach programs. Awards: Leverhulme Trust Postdoctoral Fellowship AHRC Follow-on Funding for Impact (£90k) British Federation of Women Graduates Scholarship Teaching: Convenes MSc Film Curation program Teaches Introduction to African Cinemas and Race on Screen Key Projects: Lead curator for Africa’s Lost Classics restoration initiative Organized international symposia on African art and activism

• Gender and African cinema
• African film festivals
• African film and digital technologies
• +4 more

Johnny Golding is a Professor at the Royal College of Art (RCA), School of Arts & Humanities. His career spans roles such as Director of the Centre for Fine Art Research at Birmingham City University, Professor of Philosophy in the Visual Arts & Communication Technologies (2000–2012), and honorary Professorship in Philosophy and Imaging at Dundee School of Art (2009). Born in New York, he holds a PhD from the Universities of Toronto and Cambridge. Education : - PhD in Philosophy from the Universities of Toronto and Cambridge. - Earlier studies in Toronto and New York. Research Interests : Golding’s work explores post-Newtonian analytics, new materialisms, and the erotics of sense as 'radical matter.' His interdisciplinary approach bridges art, philosophy, and 'wild sciences' like AI, robotics, and quantum theory. Key themes include data proliferation's societal impact, emergent systems, and the interplay between art and technology. Recent Articles & Projects : Focus on Data Loam (2020), exploring future knowledge systems through art and science collaborations. Recent works address radical empathy, distributed intelligence, and the ethics of AI. His 2018 opera Entanglement: The Opera and installations like Of The Thick and the Raw exemplify his practice-led philosophy. Grants & Leadership : - Led the Data Loam project (FWF-PEEK funded), involving over 20 artists and scholars. - PI for AiDesign Labs on generative AI at RCA. Labs & Collaborations : - Radical Matter Lab (2017–2018), a pedagogical experiment at RCA. - Collaborations with institutions like the University of Applied Arts Vienna and the British Library.

• Contemporary Philosophy
• Art Theory
• New Materialisms
• +3 more

Dr Alison Powell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), serving as Programme Director for the MSc Media and Communications (Data and Society). Her research focuses on technology design, public sector technology, and digital futures. She is known for her book Undoing Optimization: Civic Action in Smart Cities (2021) and her participatory research method, data walking. From 2019–2023, she directed the JUST AI network, supported by the Ada Lovelace Institute and UKRI, advancing AI ethics research. Her work integrates critical theory, participatory methods, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Education: PhD in Communication from Concordia University (Canada), MA in Media Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University, and postdoctoral research at the Oxford Internet Institute. Prior to academia, she worked in the film and TV industry. Research interests include civic engagement in data-driven governance, ethical AI, and participatory urbanism. She has advised projects like Africa Just AI and Operationalising Ethics for AI, funded by Horizon Europe, AHRC, and the Open Society Foundations. Her articles address topics such as AI governance, urban light ecology, feminist research praxis, and the ethical implications of technology for marginalized communities. She contributes to blogs like Media@LSE and leads initiatives at Polis and the LSE’s Digital Futures for Children project. Grants and collaborations include work with Projects by IF, Open Rights Group, and the Human Data Interactions Network (EPSRC). She explores intersections of technology, justice, and sustainability, emphasizing equitable and inclusive innovation.

• Technology Design and Policy
• Public Sector Technology
• Digital Futures
• +5 more

Professor Andrew Hudson-Smith is the Director of the Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA) at University College London (UCL), where he holds the title of Professor of Digital Urban Systems. He leads UCL's academic and applied research in smart cities, digital twins, and urban informatics. His roles include Editor-in-Chief of the Future Internet Journal and academic lead for the Smart Queen Elizabeth Park project. He contributes to strategic initiatives such as the Greater London Authority Smart London Board and EPSRC Digital Economy Programme Advisory Board. Education: PhD (2003), MSc (1996) from UCL; BSc in Geography from the University of Plymouth (1992). Research focuses on digital urban systems, IoT applications, sustainable urban planning, and cyberphysical systems. Notable projects include urban heat island monitoring, participatory planning platforms, and metaverse-driven urban design. His work bridges technology, art, and public engagement, exemplified by initiatives like Tales of Things and the Haggle-O-Tron. Recent publications emphasize digital twins, metaverse urbanism, and IoT integration in urban environments. Awards include a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts. His work addresses SDGs 3 (Good Health) and 11 (Sustainable Cities), with a focus on equitable smart city development and public space innovation.

• Digital Urban Systems
• Smart Cities
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• +7 more

Ruben Andersson is Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford’s Department of International Development, where he researches migration, borders, security, and conflict. His work spans the West African Sahel, southern Europe, and global security dynamics. Current Leverhulme Major Research Fellow (2023-26) for 'Apocalypse soon: Security, subversion and the struggle for a human future' Author of three major monographs: Wreckonomics (2023), No Go World (2019), and Illegality, Inc. (2014) Co-edits special issues on remoteness and risk in global governance His research focuses on the unintended consequences of security interventions, including: How fear maps global danger zones Counterproductive border control industries Postcolonial risk economies in Mali and Afghanistan Security-fueled displacement cycles Profits from migration control systems Anthropology of the bioeconomy Recent publications (2016-2024) analyze: Security as subversion Border wall paradoxes Bioeconomic border technologies Digital danger mapping Interventionist 'bunker politics' Time as a control mechanism Scientific recognition: Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship (2023) Co-published in The Cambridge Journal of Anthropology , Political Geography , and Security Dialogue Doctoral supervision includes: Chloe Marshall-Denton Maggie Neil His fieldwork in Mali, Senegal, and the Mediterranean has produced critical insights about: Security industry feedback loops Risk aversion in academic/interventionist practices Colonial cartographic legacies in modern geopolitics Profit motives behind 'failed' interventions

• Migration
• Borders
• Security
• +4 more

Professor Helen Kennedy is a leading scholar in digital society at the School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations , University of Sheffield . She holds the title of Professor of Digital Society and is Director of the £4 million ESRC Digital Good Network. A Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) and the Academy of Social Sciences (FacSS), her work bridges academia and public policy through collaborations with the BBC, DWP, and international media organizations. Her educational background includes a BA in English and American Studies from the University of Birmingham, an MA in Cultural Studies from the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS), and a PhD from the University of East London (2002) on digital identity and multimedia. Helen's research centers on digital inequality, datafication, algorithmic culture, data ethics, and public engagement with data . She investigates how non-expert publics experience and interpret data, visualizations, and AI, with a focus on fairness, transparency, and resistance. Her work also examines data visualization in society , particularly in news media, and the emotional and cultural dimensions of data engagement. Her recent publications reveal a consistent trend in exploring public perceptions of data practices , the politics of data visualization , and ethical dimensions of data use across journalism, public services, and digital platforms. Themes include trust, fairness, emotion, and the socio-political shaping of data systems. Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FacSS) Helen has led numerous major grants from the ESRC, AHRC, Nuffield Foundation, and EPSRC , including projects like Living With Data , Generic Visuals in the News , and Seeing Data . She supervises PhD students on topics ranging from algorithmic bias to digital self-tracking and has completed 13 PhD supervisions. She actively collaborates with policy makers (DWP, BBC, DCMS) , media organizations (Financial Times, Reach PLC) , and NGOs to translate research into impact, particularly in web accessibility and data governance. She leads the Living With Data research programme and is involved in the Everyday Life and Critical Diversities and Science, Technology and Medicine in Society research groups. Her work with the ESRC Digital Good Network brings together academics, practitioners, and civil society to envision equitable digital futures.

• Digital Society
• Datafication
• Big Data
• +12 more

Dr. Yawei Zhao is a Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Manchester. She specializes in digital technologies, urbanization, and lifestyle migration. Her research explores data centers, PropTech, and the intersection of lifestyle migration with small city urbanization. Funded by the British Academy, IJURR Foundation, and Mitacs Canada, her work appears in journals like Urban Geography and Housing Studies . Prior to Manchester, she was a sessional instructor at the University of Calgary, where she earned her PhD in Geography. She holds degrees from McGill University, City University of Hong Kong, and National University of Singapore. Her research interests include urban governance, ecological civilization, and China's urban dynamics. Notable projects examine the Belt and Road Initiative's AI governance platforms and the impact of virtual tourism on cultural heritage sites. She co-leads PhD supervision on topics such as internal migration in China and animal rights in urban governance. Dr. Zhao actively contributes to interdisciplinary platforms like Digital Futures, Manchester China Institute, and Manchester Urban Institute. She organized the 2022–2023 conference ‘Making Rent: Generational Inequality and the Housing Crisis.’

• Urban Geography
• Digital Technologies
• Urbanization
• +8 more

Virginia Leavell serves as Assistant Professor in Organisational Theory and Information Systems at Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge. Her research investigates how organisations anticipate technological change through digital prediction systems, AI, and infrastructure transformation, drawing on her decade-long background in political organising for non-profits and labour groups across the US and Thailand. Her academic credentials include: BA in Interdisciplinary Studies, Georgetown University MA in Sociology, University of California Santa Barbara PhD in Technology Management, University of California Santa Barbara Leavell's scholarly work centers on organisational anticipation of technological futures, employing ethnographic and social network analysis methods to examine digital transformation in critical infrastructure contexts. She explores how predictive technologies reshape organisational structures and actions before technological change fully materializes, with particular focus on water systems, urban planning, and labor industries where digital twins and simulation technologies create new governance challenges. Analysis of her 2017-2024 publications reveals consistent examination of prediction performativity across sectors, demonstrating how digital models influence physical realities in infrastructure management. Her research trajectory shows increasing emphasis on sociomaterial dimensions of anticipatory organising, with recent work interrogating the equalization of human and technological agency in digital transformation processes. No scientific awards were specified in source materials. Leavell actively contributes to the Organisational Theory and Information Systems subject group at Cambridge Judge Business School, which engages cross-disciplinary leadership themes. Information regarding student advising and research grants remains unspecified in available documentation.

• Organisational Anticipation
• Digital Prediction Technologies
• AI and Autonomous Systems
• +4 more

Sophie Whitehouse is a Lecturer in Marketing (Education) at King's Business School, King's College London. She holds a PhD in Marketing, an MA in English Language and Linguistics, and a BA in Management with Marketing from the University of Leicester. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has been teaching since 2013. PhD in Marketing, University of Leicester MA in English Language and Linguistics, University of Leicester BA in Management with Marketing, University of Leicester Sophie's research centers on marketing in the creative and cultural industries, especially music. She explores consumer culture, authenticity, nostalgia, and the materiality of consumption in a digital age. Her work employs qualitative methodologies and has examined why consumers remain committed to physical formats like vinyl records despite the dominance of digital streaming. Her recent publications reveal a consistent focus on the intersection of marketing, culture, and emotion. She investigates how nostalgia shapes consumption, how record artwork fosters cultural identity, and how pedagogical tools like crib sheets affect student well-being. Her upcoming work extends into collaborative arts research and societal inclusion in higher education. Her scientific contributions have been recognized with the Elsevier Peer Recommendation Prize at the University of Leicester’s Festival of Postgraduate Research. Elsevier Peer Recommendation Prize, University of Leicester’s Festival of Postgraduate Research Sophie has extensive experience supervising undergraduate, Master’s, and MBA dissertations. She is currently open to supervising PhD students whose projects align with her interests in marketing and nostalgia, consumer culture, and the creative industries. While no specific grants are mentioned, her research output and invited talks indicate active scholarly engagement and external collaboration. Sophie is involved in academic events and roundtables such as 'La Pensée Artistique: Artistic Thinking in Consumer Research' and 'The Future of Higher Education,' indicating her integration into research networks and thought leadership in her domain.

• Marketing
• Consumer Behavior
• Creative Industries
• +9 more