Dr. Luisa Calè is a Professor of Romantic and Nineteenth-Century Literature & Visual Culture and Research Lead at Birkbeck, University of London. She holds degrees from the University of Rome 'La Sapienza' (1993), University of Genoa (1997), and the University of Oxford (M.St. 1998, D.Phil 2002). Her research explores the interplay between literature and visual/material culture, focusing on book history, intermediality, and practices of reading/collecting. Her Leverhulme Trust-funded project 'The Book Unbound' examines how works by Blake, Walpole, and Dickens subverted traditional book formats. Education: PhD in Literary Studies, University of Genoa (1997) D.Phil., University of Oxford (2002) M.St. in English, University of Oxford (1998) Letters Degree, University of Rome (1993) Her research interests include Romantic aesthetics, material texts, and critical disciplinarity. Notable publications include Fuseli’s Milton Gallery (2006) and co-edited volumes like Dante on View (2007). She edits Blake/An Illustrated Quarterly and serves on editorial boards for Word & Image and Romantic Circles Gallery . Recent awards include a Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship (2019) and a Mercator Fellowship (2018-19). She supervises graduate students in Romantic literature, material culture, and book history.
Professor Emma Widdis is a leading scholar at the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics at the University of Cambridge, specializing in the intersection of Soviet cinema, ideology, and cultural geography. Her work explores the reeducation of sensory perception through film, early Soviet urban spaces, and the construction of subjectivity via cinematic techniques. Teaches 20th-century Russian/Soviet literature, cinema, and film theory Focuses on sensory engagement, political avant-garde, and urban spatial representation Supervisor for MPhil and PhD students in Slavonic Studies Her recent book Socialist Senses (2017) examines how cinema shaped Soviet perceptions of reality. Her publications span topics like silence in sound film, set design materiality, and costume symbolism in early Soviet cinema. While no formal scientific awards are listed, her research has been supported through institutional grants and collaborations with centers like CRASSH and Cambridge Language Sciences.
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
David Stillwell serves as Professor of Computational Social Science at Cambridge Judge Business School and Academic Director of The Psychometrics Centre, University of Cambridge. His research leverages big data to understand human psychology and behavior, with significant contributions in personality prediction from digital footprints and personalized advertising applications. His educational background includes: BSc in Psychology from the University of Nottingham (2007) MSc in Research Methods from the University of Nottingham (2008) PhD in Decision Making from the University of Nottingham (2012) Dr. Stillwell's research centers on computational social science and psychometrics, pioneering the myPersonality Facebook application that collected data from over 6 million users. His work demonstrates computers can predict personality as accurately as spouses, reveals psychological targeting's advertising effectiveness, and establishes links between personality-matched spending and life satisfaction. He also explores linguistic honesty markers through profanity analysis and personality-based dating patterns. His recent publications (2019-2025) reveal a strong trajectory toward AI evaluation using psychometric frameworks, particularly in medical and general-purpose AI assessment. Key themes include fairness metrics in language models, crisis emotional responses through social media, and computational personality recognition - demonstrating consistent innovation at the psychology-technology intersection. He has received significant recognition: Top 10 most influential papers of 2013 by Altmetric Nieman Journalism Lab highlight of 2013 Named in 'top 30 thinkers under 30' by Pacific Standard Magazine Dr. Stillwell maintains active industry engagement through consultancy with Barclays, Hilton, and Ubisoft on projects spanning computer-adaptive testing systems to interactive experiences like Predictive World for Watch Dogs 2. His policy impact is substantial, with citations by the European Data Protection Supervisor, World Bank, and multiple national governments, leading to speaking engagements at the European Parliament and Bank of England. As Academic Director of The Psychometrics Centre, he leads a global hub for advancing psychological assessment through innovative methods including Concerto open-source software, collaborating with organizations ranging from the European Commission to major corporations on psychometric applications in people analytics and digital behavior.
Timothy M. Hospedales is a Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the Institute of Perception, Action and Behaviour within the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh . He also serves as VP AI and Head of Samsung AI Research Centre Europe . His research focuses on efficient and robust AI , emphasizing meta-learning , lifelong transfer-learning , and domain adaptation in both probabilistic and deep learning frameworks. Applications span computer vision , vision and language , reinforcement learning for robotics , and finance . Professor at University of Edinburgh (2020–present) ELLIS Fellow (2021) Head of Samsung AI Research Europe (2020–present) Founding Director of Applied Machine Learning Lab at QMUL (2012–2016) His work includes pioneering contributions to meta-learning , few-shot learning , and self-supervised methods , with notable awards such as the Best Paper Prize at ICML AutoML 2018 and Best Student Paper at ICPR 2018 . He has co-authored 15+ recent papers on topics like Vision-Language Models , Medical AI Fairness , and Diffusion Model Optimization . He served as Program Co-Chair for BMVC 2018 and AAAI 2022 , and authored a book on Visual Adaptation in the Deep Learning Era (2022). Co-Chair, BMVC 2018 Guest Editor, IET CV Special Issue (2016) Keynote Speaker at TASK-CV Workshop (ECCV 2016) Special Issue on Fewer Labels (IEEE PAMI 2020) His leadership extends to organizing workshops like the Learning-to-Learn Workshop at ICLR 2021 , Meta-Learning Workshop at NeurIPS 2020 , and Domain Generalisation Workshop at ICLR 2023 . Current projects include Meta-Omnium (CVPR 2023) for general-purpose meta-learning and MetaAudio (ICANN 2022) for few-shot audio classification benchmarks.
Professor Carlo Harvey is a creative technologist at the School of Digital Arts (SODA), Manchester Metropolitan University. His interdisciplinary research merges games , machine learning , virtual production , and cultural heritage reinterpretation . He leads industry collaborations with entities like Jaguar Land Rover and Epic Games, focusing on AI-driven interactive audio, real-time visualization, and accessibility solutions. Award-winning projects : TIGA, Innovate UK, and Epic Games MegaGrant for Accession Industry partnerships : Automotive sector, cultural institutions His research spans human-computer interaction , multisensory virtual environments , and acoustic-visual cross-modal perception . Recent publications address robotic simulations, motion alignment, and haptic feedback systems. Scientific recognition : TIGA Award, Innovate UK Funding, Epic Games MegaGrant Advocacy : Digital inclusion, creative collaboration, social impact of technology
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.
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)United Kingdom
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.
Dr Andrew Rhead is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bath, specializing in aerospace composites and damage tolerance analysis. His research focuses on impact damage detection, failure mechanism modeling, and Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) techniques for composite structures. MSci in Mathematical Sciences (Dynamical Systems) - University of Bristol (2006) PhD in Composite Damage Tolerance - University of Bath (2009) His work develops computationally efficient analytical models for compression after impact (CAI) strength prediction in composite laminates, surpassing traditional finite element methods. Key projects include hydrogen storage systems for aircraft, cryogenic composite testing, and steered fiber manufacturing optimization. Active in 10 projects including ASPIRE and HyFIVE Collaborates with Airbus, GKN Aerospace, and EPSRC Research trends show emphasis on sustainable aviation materials, structural battery integration, and advanced testing methodologies. Current affiliations include the Institute for Mathematical Innovation (IMI) and Centre for Integrated Materials, Processes & Structures (IMPS).
Dr. Mo Adda is a Principal Lecturer at the University of Portsmouth's School of Computing, part of the Faculty of Technology. He holds a PhD in Distributed Systems and Parallel Processing from the University of Surrey. His research focuses on network security, distributed systems, wireless networks, and cybercrime prevention. He leads projects in the Centre for Cybercrime and Economic Crime, exploring fault management in networks, blockchain applications, and IoT forensics. With 16 supervised theses, he advises on topics like energy-efficient cloud systems and machine learning for environmental modeling. His work bridges academia and industry, addressing challenges in software-defined networks, traffic control, and secure data sharing in social networks. Education: PhD in Distributed Systems (University of Surrey) Affiliations: Centre of Excellence in Defence, Risk & Resilience; Portsmouth Centre for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Research Interests Dr. Adda's research spans: Network security and fault detection mechanisms Blockchain applications in IoT and forensics Energy-efficient cloud data center optimization Machine learning for climate modeling Self-organizing network protocols Grants & Collaborations His projects include collaborations with industry partners on secure data leakage detection in cloud systems and resilient wireless protocols for harsh environments. He has pioneered fault classification systems using clustering algorithms and fuzzy logic. Labs & Teams He contributes to the Centre for Cybercrime and Economic Crime, focusing on digital forensics and network intrusion analysis. His team develops frameworks for privacy management in social networks and proactive routing in software-defined networks.
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.
Dr. Heather Inwood serves as University Associate Professor in Modern Chinese Literature and Culture within the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge. She is also a Fellow and Director of Studies at Trinity Hall, maintaining dual institutional affiliations that support her teaching and research activities across undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Her educational background includes a BA in Chinese Studies from the University of Cambridge (Trinity Hall), followed by advanced studies at Tsinghua University and Peking University, culminating in a PhD in modern Chinese literature from SOAS, University of London in 2008. Prior academic appointments include Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University (2008-2013) and Lecturer in Chinese Cultural Studies at the University of Manchester before returning to Cambridge in 2016. Professor Inwood's research program investigates the dynamic interactions between digital media and literary production in contemporary China, with particular focus on poetry communities, genre fiction, and transmedia storytelling. Her work bridges traditional literary analysis with digital humanities approaches, examining how online platforms transform authorship, reception, and cultural value. She has pioneered scholarship on internet poetry scenes, demonstrating their vitality despite public perceptions of poetry's decline in modern China. Her publication trajectory reveals a clear evolution from early work on poetry communities ( Verse Going Viral: China's New Media Scenes , 2014) toward broader investigations of digital narrative forms, game studies, and Sinophone cyberspace. Recent publications increasingly engage with science fiction, transmedia storytelling, and the algorithmic structures shaping literary production, reflecting both the changing digital landscape and her expanding methodological toolkit. Professor Inwood actively supervises five PhD students working on diverse projects spanning Misty poetry, queer narratives, gender studies, and poetic animality, demonstrating her commitment to nurturing next-generation scholarship in Chinese literary studies. Her research has been supported by British Academy Small Grants and similar funding mechanisms that enable sustained fieldwork and publication. Her teaching responsibilities include undergraduate courses on East Asian media and popular culture, Modern Chinese texts, and Modern Chinese literature, connecting classroom instruction directly to her research expertise. She also maintains public engagement through Chinese-language columns for BBC China and other media outlets, bridging academic and public discourse on contemporary Chinese culture.
Professor Andrew Chadwick is a leading scholar in political communication and digital media studies at Loughborough University, where he directs the Online Civic Culture Centre (O3C). He holds a BSocSc from Birmingham, MSc and PhD from the London School of Economics. His research focuses on hybrid media systems, disinformation dynamics, and digital politics. Key contributions include conceptualizing hybrid media events and analyzing misinformation in personal messaging platforms. His work has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the APSA Best Book Award. He supervises numerous PhD students exploring topics like social media influence, public opinion, and digital disinformation. Current projects include the Leverhulme-funded Everyday Misinformation Project examining numerical disinformation on messaging apps. His media engagements span BBC Radio 4 to The Washington Post. Research highlights include studies on misinformation warnings' ineffectiveness, vaccine hesitancy, and the role of celebrities in political representation. O3C serves as a hub for interdisciplinary research on digital civic culture. Chadwick’s academic leadership includes roles in editorial boards for top journals and international conference keynotes.
Dr. Simon O'Meara is a Professor at SOAS University of London , serving as Reader in the History of Architecture & Archaeology of the Islamic Middle East and Department Student Support and Experience Convenor. He holds a PhD from the University of Leeds (2004) in Arabic and Islamic Studies, following BA and MA degrees in Art History with a focus on visual theory. Key research areas: Islamic architecture , North African urbanism , material culture , and Islamic visual theory Specializes in analyzing how Islamic religious/legal discourses shape urban spaces and visual culture His publications include two monographs: Space and Muslim Urban Life (2007) on Fez's party walls, and The Kaʿba Orientations (2020) on Mecca's spatial symbolism. Current work examines Quranic exegesis through architectural lenses (2024) and Sufi cosmological centers (2023). PhD supervision topics include: Charlie Oubridge: The Nation in Egyptology Aydin Ozcandan: Ottoman fountains and epigraphs Contact: so20@soas.ac.uk | Office: Room 558, Russell Square: College Buildings
Professor Gabriel Brostow is a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science at University College London (UCL), where he leads research in Computer Vision and Human-Computer Interaction. He also serves as Chief Research Scientist and Senior Director of the R&D Team at Niantic, the company behind Pokémon GO. His work bridges academic research and industry applications, focusing on developing AI systems that enhance human capabilities through what he terms 'Human in the Loop AI'—now commonly referred to as Human-Centered AI. Brostow completed his BS in Electrical Engineering at UT Austin, followed by a PhD with Irfan Essa at Georgia Tech. He then pursued postdoctoral research with Roberto Cipolla's Computer Vision & Robotics Group at Cambridge University as a Marshall Sherfield Fellow, and with Marc Pollefeys in ETH Zurich's CVG Group. His research explores how AI, particularly Computer Vision, can serve as 'super-tools' for professionals across various domains including filmmaking, architecture, robotics, and scientific research. Specific interests include assistive technology for everyday life, authoring systems that maximize user effort, 3D reconstruction, depth estimation, and vision-language models. His work often involves creating systems that are validated through real-world human interaction to ensure practical utility. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on practical applications of Computer Vision that directly interact with humans. His research spans 3D scene understanding, depth estimation, sketch-based interfaces, and multimodal AI systems. There's a clear emphasis on creating benchmarks and tools that facilitate human-AI collaboration, with applications in assistive technology, urban planning, filmmaking, and biodiversity monitoring. His work frequently appears at top conferences including CVPR, NeurIPS, ECCV, and CHI. Marshall Sherfield Fellowship Brostow actively mentors PhD students, with current advisees including Ross Murphy, Skanda Koppula, Gizem Unlu, Omiros Pantazis, and Jamie Watson. His alumni include numerous PhD graduates and MSc students who have gone on to successful careers in academia and industry. He emphasizes selecting students based on passion and potential rather than just academic credentials, valuing traits like helpfulness, drive, and hunger to learn. His research is supported through collaborations with major institutions and companies including DeepMind, MIT, and the University of Edinburgh. He leads a research group at UCL that collaborates closely with Niantic's R&D team, creating a unique bridge between academic research and industry application. His team's work frequently involves developing novel Computer Vision techniques that are validated through real-world human interaction, ensuring practical utility alongside technical innovation. The group explores blue-sky research problems with applications ranging from assistive technology to professional tools for filmmakers, architects, and scientists studying diverse environments.
