Pictured left to right: Professor Tom Crick MBE, Dr Alma Rahat and Dr Sean Walton.
Three academics from Swansea University are among a new cohort of 51 Turing Fellows to have joined The Alan Turing Institute from universities and research institutes across the UK.
The Turing Fellowship Scheme aims to grow the data science and AI ecosystem in the UK by supporting, retaining, and developing the careers of the next generation of world-leading researchers.
Turing Fellows have proven research excellence in data science, AI, or a cognate field, and research interests aligned to the Institute’s science and innovation priorities, including environment and sustainability, driving an informed public conversation, and skills for the future. The interdisciplinary research interests of the new Fellows span everything from evolutionary studies, human genetics, energy justice and the future of cities, to biodiversity loss.
The three Swansea Turing Fellows are:
- Professor Tom Crick MBE, Professor of Digital Policy at Swansea University, and Chief Scientific Adviser at the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
- Dr Alma Rahat, Associate Professor in Data Science.
- Dr Sean Walton, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science.
The Alan Turing Institute, formed in 2015 and headquartered in the British Library, is the UK’s national institute for data science and artificial intelligence.
The Institute is named in honour of Alan Turing, whose pioneering work in theoretical and applied mathematics, engineering and computing is considered to have laid the foundations for modern-day data science and artificial intelligence.
As well as taking part in the Turing’s interdisciplinary and collaborative research community aimed at changing the world for the better with data science and AI, the new Fellows will also support broader work across skills and public policy.
Swansea University is a member of the Turing University Network, which supports the Institute in achieving its ambitious goals, including advancing world-class research and applying it to national and global challenges.
Professor Mark Girolami, Chief Scientist of The Alan Turing Institute said: “I’m delighted to welcome a new cohort of Turing Fellows, brought to us from across our University Network in recognition of their status as the next generation of world leading researchers in the data sciences, AI and related fields.
“I’m very much looking forward to seeing the immense value they will add to our diverse and vibrant science and innovation community, including playing a critical role in the delivery the Turing’s strategy as we strive to change the world for the better through data science and AI.”