Professor Nick Pears is a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science at the University of York. He holds roles including Deputy Head of Department (Research) and Chair of the Departmental Research Committee. His academic career spans postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford, a Fellowship at the University of Cambridge, and progressive roles at York from Lecturer to Professor (since 2022). He holds a BSc in Engineering and a PhD in Robotics from 'Dunelm' (likely Durham University). His research focuses on 3D facial modeling, computer vision for autonomous systems, robotic manipulation, and medical imaging. He leads the Vision, Graphics and Learning research group and has contributed to advancements in morphable models, gaze estimation, and medical anomaly detection. His work bridges theoretical computer vision with practical applications in healthcare and robotics. Recent publications emphasize generative models for medical imaging, 3D face reconstruction techniques, and adaptive robotics. His research often intersects AI ethics, emphasizing safe and explainable systems for autonomous vehicles and surgical applications. He actively collaborates with clinicians and engineers to translate vision algorithms into real-world solutions. As a leader in academic research governance, he oversees York's REF submissions and departmental strategy, fostering interdisciplinary innovation. His lab maintains an open-access repository of 3D morphable models and benchmark datasets for robotic motion planning.
