Meet the researchers propelling AI research and development at the University of Edinburgh. Find out more about some of our world-leading experts in AI, hear about their notable work and insights through thought-provoking opinion pieces and editorials. Shannon Vallor Professor Shannon Vallor holds the Baillie Gifford Chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence and is Director of the Centre for Technomoral Futures. As a leader in the ethics of emerging technologies, Professor Vallor has advised government and industry bodies on responsible AI and data ethics. Michael Rovatsos Michael Rovatsos is Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the School of Informatics. His research delves into the governance and safety of AI, exploring how these systems can be designed responsively to societal norms and values. A key area of his work involves the development of AI technologies that are accountable and transparent, ensuring they align with ethical standards. Jane Hillston Jane Hillston is Professor of Quantitative Modelling in the School of Informatics and interim co-Director of the Generative AI Laboratory. Her research encompasses performance modelling and analysis of computer systems, with a focus on constructing robust models that predict system behaviour under various conditions. Professor Hillston's work contributes to making complex computer systems more reliable and efficient. Subramanian Ramamoorthy Subramanian Ramamoorthy is Professor of Robot Learning and Autonomy, co-Director of the UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Dependable and Deployable Artificial Intelligence for Robotics and the Director of the Centre for AI for Assistive Autonomy. His research focuses on robot learning and decision-making under uncertainty, with particular emphasis on achieving safe and robust autonomy in human-centred environments. Mirella Lapata Mirella Lapata is a Professor of Natural Language Processing at the School of Informatics and interim co-Director of the Generative AI Laboratory. Her work is centred on enabling computers to understand, reason with, and generate natural language. Themis Prodromakis Themis Prodromakis holds the Regius Chair of Engineering and is Director of the UKRI AI Hub for productive research and Innovation in electronics (APRIL) and the Centre for Electronics Frontiers. His research builds on innovations in semiconductor technologies for delivering low-power AI on chips. Bronwyn Jones Bronwyn Jones is a Translational Fellow and social scientist researching artificial intelligence in journalism and exploring what responsible, ethical and public interest-driven AI looks like in news production. Formerly a BBC journalist, she works towards ensuring developments in media and communications technology and policy contribute to strengthening public interest journalism. Baljean Dhillon Baljean Dhillon holds the University of Edinburgh Chair of Clinical Ophthalmology, and is a clinical academic specialising in disorders affecting the retina, and the retinal manifestations of systemic disease. His research uses advanced imaging tools, including AI, to interrogate retinal microvasculature, and to test the hypothesis that neurovascular disease detectable in the eye predicts chronic neurological disease changes in the brain. Helen Hastie Helen Hastie is a Professor of Human-Robot Interaction and Head of the School of Informatics. She is interested in how humans and robots cooperate, in particular through natural language. She is investigating the best way to communicate with robots and autonomous systems including aspects of trust, transparency, and situation awareness. Sotirios A. Tsaftaris Sotirios A. Tsaftaris is Professor of Machine Learning and Computer Vision at the School of Engineering and also holds the Canon Medical/Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in Healthcare AI. He is also Director of the UKRI AI Hub Causality in Healthcare AI (CHAI). His research focuses on developing innovative computing technologies to analyse medical images and genetic data, enhancing our understanding and treatment of diseases. Julie Jacko Julie Jacko is Chair of Health Informatics and Data Science and Interim Director of the Usher Institute. Her expertise is in health informatics, health IT, population health, and human-computer interaction. Ian Simpson Ian Simpson is Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Director of the UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Biomedical Innovation. His research focuses on integrating molecular and clinical data in neurological diseases to better understand their underlying mechanisms and patient symptoms, transforming diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Alexandra Birch-Mayne Lexi Birch-Mayne is a Reader in Natural Language Processing. She has developed methods in Neural Machine Translation (NMT) that are now standard practice. She currently leads the EuroLLM project that aims to build an open source European Large Language Model which supports 24 official European languages. Kenny Baillie Kenneth Baillie is Professor of Experimental Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine. He leads a research programme in translational genomics. His work is focused on using artificial intelligence and genetic signals from critically ill patients to identify drug therapy targets and testing those therapeutic ideas in highly efficient model systems. Oisin Mac Aodha Oisin Mac Aodha is a Lecturer in Machine Learning in the School of Informatics. His research interests are in the areas of computer vision and machine learning, with a specific emphasis on human-in-the-loop methods. He is interested in applications of machine learning and computer vision for problems in biodiversity monitoring. Miguel Bernabeau Miguel Bernabeu is Professor of Computational Medicine at the Usher Institute. His research develops computational tools to advance biomedicine, working on projects like automated disease diagnosis through retinal scans, real-world AI evaluation in healthcare, and studying tumor blood vessels to improve treatment delivery. TIejun Ma Tiejun Ma is Professor in Financial Computing and Risk Modelling at the School of Informatics. His research uses big data analysis and fintech to quantitatively model user behavior for better risk analysis and decision-making in areas like finance and cybersecurity. This article was published on 2025-03-11
