AI Forum

Professor CD Neagu has 20+ years of funded research leadership. He is the AI Research (AIRE) Group Leader, the academic liaison for Turing University Network, Academic Coordinator for Exchange Studies in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, active speaker on Responsible AI, SAFI lead for Big Data Statistical and Machine Learning Applications.

His research focuses on fundamental approaches for Responsible and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence, and applications in Digital Technologies for Engineering, Product Safety, Healthcare, Social Media, BIMs and Arts. This research has been motivated by his desire to advance the AI field by studying systems from rigorous computational and philosophical perspectives.

The main theme throughout his academic work is to develop models of multidisciplinary information systems by the fusion of know-what, know-how and computational information. He strongly believes Computer Science is now media for knowledge acquisition, analysis, design, and validation and leads research towards the AI technologies that serve responsibly sustainable aims that play vital roles in the progress of science and society.

Talk Title: Fundamental Approaches for Responsible AI Applications

Founder and CEO of the Nine health Group of Companies Elaine has over 30 years’ experience in leading innovative clinical technology development.

Previously National Clinical Research Lead for the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre (now part of NHS England) she set up Nine Health CIC in 2011. Elaine specialises in delivering large complex A.I. programmes and in both Europe and Asia supporting the delivery of supercomputational virtual systems and an intelligent information system running in community clinics.

Elaine is the Principal Investigator for the Woubot® predictive AI application for hard-to-heal wounds a project funded by the A.I. Awards at the Accelerated Access Collaborative with the National Institute for Healthcare Research in late 2020. She has a contract with the British Red Cross delivering an NHS service and has recently been accepted onto the West Yorkshire Innovative Entrepreneurs programme. 

Talk Title: Developing trustworthy AI in healthcare

Gavin Mander has over two decades experience within data and technology, with a large proportion focussed on helping organisations enhance their data capabilities to deliver business value. As the Founder and Director of a digital and data consultancy, Gavin aims to empower organisations to become self-sufficient in how they manage and leverage their data to support their business objectives.

His experience covers the full data lifecycle, including the creation of robust data governance structures, cloud-based data solutions, and real-time analytics frameworks. Gavin's career spans a number sectors including Retail, Health & Social Care, Technology and Pubic Sector; this has included Head Of & Director level roles within FTSE100 organisations and he has led delivery of public sector programmes of national significance. He has previously contributed to industry data management forums and podcasts on data strategy.

Gavin is currently focussed on defining what AI-Ready Data means for businesses who want to 'tune-in' AI for their business needs, in particular with the opportunities opened up by Generative AI.

Talk Title: The organisational and data capabilities required to deliver value from your AI Investment

Professor Hassan Ugail is the director of the Centre for Visual Computing and Intelligent Systems at the University of Bradford in the UK. He is a renowned computer scientist in the area of visual computing and artificial intelligence (AI). He is an advocate of AI for helping to tackle real-world issues in the areas of biometrics, digital health, innovative engineering, and sustainable societies in general. More specifically, he works in the area of human biometrics, especially the development of cutting-edge AI solutions for biometric face recognition and analysis. His work in this area includes helping to unravel the real identity of the two Russian spies at the heart of the Salisbury Novichok poisoning case - one of the biggest international stories of 2018.

Talk Title: Exploring the Frontiers of AI Applications - From Cutting-Edge Biometrics to Pioneering Art Authentication

Ifiok Otung is a Chartered Engineer, Professor of Space Engineering, and Director of the Bradford-Renduchintala Centre for Space AI, University of Bradford, UK.

He holds a PhD in Satellite Communications from the University of Surrey, UK. He is sole author of several major textbooks used in top universities around the world, including Communication Engineering Principles 2E (Wiley, 2021, ISBN 978-1119274025), and Digital Communications Principles and Systems (IET, 2014, ISBN 978-1849196116).

Ifiok has trained over 500 graduate engineers at MSc and PhD levels and contributed to around 200 technical outputs in Journals and Conferences. His research interests cover space technologies, wireless communications, and signal processing.

Talk Title: AI for Innovation in Space Technologies

Lampros is UNESCO Chair of AI and Data Science for Society and professor of Data Science at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, where he leads the Data Science research group in the Faculty of IT & Design.

Previously, he has been chaired professor in Business Analytics at the University of Surrey Business School and in Computer Science at Brunel University London (Southern England). Lampros is also active for the European Commission as an expert in the fields of artificial intelligence, data science and research ethics. He also serves as an expert evaluator for various programmes sponsored by the European Union and EU Member States. Lampros studied informatics and physics in his first degree, and obtained an MSc(ENG) and a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Liverpool, UK. 

He has written more than 200 scientific publications and supervised and examined many PhD theses in the fields of data science, human-centred computing, health informatics, data-driven social innovation, modelling and simulation, and intelligent systems. 

He has been principal investigator in more than 30 international projects, and coordinator of 4 European research projects in which he collaborated with EU and national public organizations such as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Commission, the National Health Service (UK) as well as national and regional authorities around the world. 

Lampros's research interests lie in the fields of applied AI, data science and analytics, health informatics, data-driven management and innovation, system modelling and simulation as well as data ethics.

Talk Title: Opening up data for AI-driven innovation and sustainability

Prof Maria Fasli is the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science and Health at the University of Essex, UK and the Director of the ESRC-funded Business and Local Government Data Research Centre (BLG DRC). She was the founding Director of the Institute for Analytics and Data Science (IADS) (2014-19) and prior to that was the Head of the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering (2009-14) at the University of Essex.

She obtained her BSc in Informatics from the Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Department of Informatics, Greece in 1996 and her PhD in Computer Science from the University of Essex in 2000.

In 2016, she was awarded the first UNESCO Chair in Analytics and Data Science to support the development of skills and research capacity in data science, analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) across the world.

Her research interests lie in AI and she has published extensively in conferences and journals. Her research has been funded by Research Councils and other organisations (over £10M to date) and she has worked with a range of companies and public sector organisations in data analytics and AI related projects.

Talk Title: Developing and Deploying Artificial Intelligence in Business and the Public Sector

Mark Barrett is a leading Data Innovation Consultant who specialises in driving Innovation using Data Science, and Automation to create efficiencies and new revenue streams for businesses. 
 
He is recognised as one of the UK's top innovators, having been named among the "Top 50 Creative Companies" by Creative England, one of the "New Radicals" by The Observer, and was identified as one of the top 50 Innovators in Healthcare by the Health Service Journal after getting his own app to #1 in the Apple App Store.

Mark is passionate about de-mystifying technologies so they can be leveraged by small businesses as well as multinationals. At this AI conference, Mark will share insights from his experience in open data and AI, highlighting how you can use off-the-shelf products to automate and enhance your business.

Visit www.datadives.co.uk or Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbarrett79/) for Marks background.

Talk Title: AI for all - how to leverage AI when you're an SME

Sarah is the Head of Data and Insight at Incommunities, a registered provider of social housing in Bradford and local surrounding areas. She joined Incommunities in May 2023 with over 18 years’ worth of experience in the social housing sector, specialising in data governance and the use of data and insight to drive decision making.

Sarah aims to provide strong data assurance combined with customer insight and storytelling to support understanding across a range of audience types.

Talk Title: Incorporating AI into data-driven decision making in the Housing Sector

Sherin Mathew is a recognised AI Leader and leading AI Ethicist in the UK. A Founder, CEO, and Serial Entrepreneur, with a deep-rooted passion for wider AI Awareness, Impact, Ethics, and Intellectual Privacy.

As a former IBM - Microsoft AI Expert, Sherin’s specialism is transforming businesses into cognitive enterprises. Sherin is an award-winning CEO of AI Tech UK and is responsible for delivering the National AI Strategy and democratising AI Awareness with UK Startups and businesses since 2018.

Sherin is an AI Strategist and board advisor for West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and also the Chief AI advisor for ambitious SMEs and Startups, and involved with the UK AI policy team (DSIT) with a mission to "Disrupt the AI Disruption"! As an accomplished AI Ethicist and Evangelist, Sherin promotes thought-provoking ideas, shares his technical knowledge, and advises on best practices.  Sherin is an untiring advocate for the creative, innovative, and ethical elements of AI.  

Talk Title: How ethical AI is a superpower

Srinidhi Karthikeyan is a data scientist who is currently working on the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project for Incommunities.

The main challenge we are facing is to predict the likelihood of people falling behind on their payments and take proactive measures to prevent it from happening, thereby increasing the sustainability of tenancies for tenants

Srinidhi has nearly four years of experience in the field of Data Science, and her primary area of interest is in Natural Language Processing.

Talk Title: Incorporating AI into data-driven decision making in the Housing Sector

Tony Boobier is a Bradford Alumni and former executive for a major international technology company with over 40 years of professional experience with special interest in the financial sector. His international viewpoint particularly focusses on Europe, China, Asia and Latin America. Currently he acts as an independent consultant, NED, and business mentor.

He is the author of 4 published books on the topic of AI and Advanced Analytics, he is a contributor to many published articles, and also a regular speaker and chairman at international events. He is independently identified as a global thought leader and at the moment he is working on his 5th book which considers AI and the Future of Society.

Talk Title: AI and the Future of the Public Sector - An Ethical Perspective

Professor Tillal Eldabi holds PhD and MSc in Simulation Modelling and BSc in Econometrics and Social Statistics. He has published over 100 articles in highly accredited journals and conferences and successfully supervising and graduating 18 doctoral students.

Over a period of 20 years, his main research area was focussing on the use of Simulation Modelling to solve healthcare problems. He developed tailormade modelling packages to support health economists and clinicians to decide on the best treatment programmes. Other works include modelling approaches to enable stakeholders’ engagement and modelling A&E departments.

More recently his works focused on developing frameworks for Hybrid Simulation for modelling complex systems with special emphasis on healthcare systems. Professor Eldabi has led and co-investigated several research projects worth more than a £2 million where he gained funding from national and international research councils such as EPSRC (UK), Qatar National Foundations, British Council, and UNDP – all related to modelling healthcare and Higher Education enhancement.

He is the cofounder of the Simulation Workshop UK and the Hybrid Simulation Track at Winter Simulation Conference. Professor Eldabi led the development and management of the PhD without Residence Programme at Ahlia University – Bahrain. It graduated more than 60 doctoral students, where 45% of them are female, the highest rate of gender parity the Gulf region as evidence of capacity building in diversity and inclusivity. Professor Eldabi also developed two innovative programmes: MBA in healthcare and BSc in Business Analytics.

Dr Takao Maruyama joined the School of Management in 2019 and is currently Assistant Professor in Business Analytics.  He is also Programme Leader for MSc in Logistics, Data Analytics and Supply Chain Management (https://www.bradford.ac.uk/courses/pg/logistics-data-analytics-supply-chain-management/). 

Prior to joining the School of Management, Takao had gained more than 10 years of industry experience in data analytics in the higher education sector, analysing various types of quantitative data and communicating effectively key findings with senior management teams.  

Takao's research interest focuses on the application of data analytics in a wide range of areas including information systems, healthcare, logistics and supply chain management, and other relevant areas.  Takao has published papers in journals such as the Journal of Business Research, Information Technology and People, and New Technology Work and Employment. 

I am a lecturer in Circular Economy and Innovation at the University of Bradford, School of Management. I am fascinated by the power of design and the impact of designers' and managers’ choices and decisions to build a more sustainable and circular world. That is why as a designer and researcher, I explore how changes in design can facilitate or hamper take-back and collection, reuse, repair, remanufacturing or recycling processes. And how design changes impact businesses in terms of their business models and value chains.

In my doctoral studies, at the Delft University of Technology, I specifically studied the role of design in the effective recycling of electronic products and companies’ drivers and barriers for implementing design for recycling. My current research interests include exploring various sectors, including electronics, textiles, plastics, foods and packaging, as empirical data on the composition of different product categories and how they behave through various circular economy strategies are lacking.

Ultimately, I inspire and educate designers and managers to recognize the power of their choices and decisions through the development of design and managerial guidelines and methods.

Jiachen joined the Operations and Information Management Group in January 2016. Prior to this, she was a teaching fellow at the Department of Management Science, University of Strathclyde. She involved in two European Commission found projects during her PhD study from Nottingham Trent University, EU-Asia Link project and EU-IT&C project. The aims of the projects are to improve co-operation between Asia and Europe by increasing the mutual understanding of the complexity of transferring European information and communications technology to China, thus improving technology cross-flow and the quality of Europe-China partnerships.Her PhD project was focused on investigating the issues that have influenced SMEs in the processes of product life cycle and supplier selection.

Jiachen has been engaged with a range of professional activities. She has reviewed articles for journals such as International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making, International Journal of Design Engineering, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, Public Money and Management 92018), for Journal of Strategic Contracting and Negotiation (2018), etc. Jiachen was a member of the Member of the program committee for BLESS UWorkshop (2018), member of the program committee for The 19th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research (2018), and programme committee of the International Conference on Advanced Desing and Manufacture (2006, 2009, 2010, 2011). She is a member of SAP Global University Alliances Program Community.

Jiachen is currently working on British Council Sponsored project: "Bandar Lampung Enhanced Smart-health Services with Smart Ubiquity".

Dr Kamran Mahroof is an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Analytics and Programme Leader for the MSc in the Applied Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics programme, at the University of Bradford, School of Management.

He has extensive industry experience having worked in various role for leading organisations, most recently for Morrisons Plc, where he led various productivity initiatives in Logistics. Kamran continues to hold a strong connection in several industries through his ongoing research. His industrial experience has helped shape his research interests, whereby he is actively researching in the areas of Supply Chain Management, Circular Economy, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Societal Impact of Emerging Technologies.

He regularly publishes in high quality, high impact peer-reviewed journals, such as International Journal of Production Economics, Journal of Business Research and Information Systems Frontiers. Kamran makes regular appearances on national television, radio and in other media and has written several articles for the Press, along with other internationally renowned publications, such as for the World Economic Forum. He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education (FHEA).  

Nuno has extensive industry experience in operations management and business development at multinational companies such as Arthur Andersen, Deloitte, UEFA, and Carglass. He is a serial Angel investor with a portfolio across a diverse range of sectors (ICT, creative industries, life sciences, industrial production). He has been involved in teaching international business, entrepreneurship and management accounting for undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

His teaching experience in the UK began at Abertay University (2016-2018) as Lecturer, subsequently joining Coventry University (2018/2019) as Lecturer and Associate Course Director in Business Administration. At De Monfort University (2019-2023) he was a Senior Lecturer in Professional Development and Strategy, Leader of the Senior Leader Degree Apprenticeship and Deputy Programme Leader of the Senior Leader Master's Degree Apprenticeship (MBA). He has been publishing in leading journals in the area of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education such as the International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research, the Journal of International Business Education and the Journal of Teaching in International Business.

He joined Bradford School of Management in March 2023 as an Assistant Professor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, an area he is passionate about as a teacher and researcher, but also as a mentor for entrepreneurs and advisor/investor in start-ups.

Dr. Öznur Özdemir Akyıldırımis an Assistant Professor of Logistics and Supply Chain Management at School of Management, University of Bradford. She has joined Bradford University from Istanbul Technical University in Turkey, where she was working as an associate professor of production and operations management.

Prior to this position, she worked as an assistant professor at Rotterdam School of Management in Erasmus University in the Netherlands and Akdeniz University in Turkey. Between 2019-2020, she also served as a research associate at the Centre for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability under the University of Zurich in Switzerland.

During her PhD, she spentone year in the USA and studied as a visiting scholar at Georgia Institute ofTechnology.

Her research interests revolve around sustainable operations management and circular economy. She has published her work in highly respected journals such as Production and Operations Management, European Journal of Operational Research, International Journal of Production Economics, Decision Sciences and Journal of the Operational Research Society.

Dr Syeda Hina is a Lecturer in Business Analytics at the University of Bradford, School of Management. Prior to joining the School of Management, Dr Syeda had gained more than 12 years of teaching and research experience. Her primary areas of research activity are supply chain management and technology, logistics, transportation planning, sustainable agricultural and energy logistics, data analytics and other relevant areas which come under the broad research area of quantitative social sciences. She is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Dr Zahid Hussain joined the school full time in 2002 and has taught at all levels since including executive education, MBA, DL etc. He possess tremendous amount of academic and management experience and possess many other suitable qualifications. He teaches with passion, rigour and meticulousness. He can undertake wider multidisciplinary research within the university that has better impact, hence meeting the university’s pledge to making knowledge work. He is a member of HEA and several other professional bodies (Member of HEA, BCS,BAM, UKAIS). He has won several awards in distinguished teaching and is helping to deliver the faculty vision of enhancing levels of student satisfaction. This will help to achieve the faculty objective of excelling teaching. He is external examiner to University of West London and Imperial College London and in the past was external to Aston, Open University and University of East London. His research is usually applied and industry based. Several of his recent articles have been ‘best read’ and/or ‘nominated as best papers’ by academics. However, Zahid has and continues to supervise world class research of highest merit involving many well-known organisations, such as NATO, SAP, Mercedes, Emirates Airline, British Telecom, Mauritius Government, Asda, PACE, BBC, Airbus UK, NHS and many more including many SMEs. He is a permanent speaker/presenter on learning and improvement topics at the local community radio – MACS.