What is your role in SAINTS, and what does it involve?
Director of Operations and Lead for Partnerships – I lead the professional services team responsible for the day-to-day running of SAINTS. Together, we will be working with our postgraduate researchers to make their SAINTS journey valuable, from recruitment through to graduation and keeping in touch with our alumni too.
The CDT is a complex organisational challenge, working slightly differently to a ‘regular’ PhD programme at the University of York, and it’s my responsibility to make sure that we keep everything and everyone on track. The SAINTS network of partners is valuable and diverse, and I’ll be working to make sure that we all get what we need from it – from placements to communicating new research, sponsorship or supporting our partners with recruitment.
Tell us about your research interests. What do you find most interesting or enjoyable about your work?
I don’t carry out research any more, although I have a background, and PhD, in tissue engineering (combining engineered material structures with biological cells to try to create new living tissues to repair damage). I have been working in the area of robotics, autonomy and AI for over 10 years, and I’ve always enjoyed working at the interface of different disciplines – it’s both rewarding to bring your own specialist knowledge to a group, and humbling to find out what you don’t know, or hadn’t thought about.
What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?
I’m proud of the work I do to nudge people and processes to improve ways of doing things. I am currently involved in several non-standard projects, programmes and centres that I’ve been involved with since the first idea, for example the Centre for Assuring Autonomy, and I make sure that they deliver more than their expected outcomes. Since 2017, I’ve been involved with initiatives at York that have resulted in more than £75M of investment in the area of safety and assurance of autonomy – funding research, education and impact.
What’s next on the research horizon for you?
I’m interested in supporting policy change in the area of Safe AI, finding routes for York’s research to make a difference. For me, that’s all about communicating cutting-edge research in a way that’s accessible and engaging, and finding the right audiences.
What are your thoughts on the future of AI?
Having seen AI and robots up close, I’m excited about their potential for specific and targeted applications, but I’m not concerned that they’ll run away by themselves. AI, autonomy and robotics are tools – advanced ones of course – but we need to remember that people are responsible for their development and use, and those same people have the power to make good or bad decisions.
What one piece of advice do you have for SAINTS postgraduate researchers?
Learn to read and critique other people’s work – it’s the most useful skill you can develop and will help you not only to write better but also to spot inconsistencies and challenge the consensus in a constructive manner.