Summary

I am Emeritus Professor of Intelligent Systems at the University of Portsmouth, where I was formerly Theme Director of Future & Emerging Technologies and Executive Director of the Space South Central Enterprise Network. I am also a visiting professor at the Open University and in the Sheffield Business School at Sheffield Hallam University.

I am a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT. I am a committee member for the BCS Specialist Group on Artificial Intelligence and a member of the Institute of Physics.

I currently offer consultancy services in AI and its practical applications. Further details can be found on my website.

Biography

After completing my BSc in physics and PhD in materials science, I spent two years with the software company Systems Designers PLC, where I was introduced to the world of artificial intelligence. I then joined the Open University and remained there for 14 years, except for a two-year spell as principal scientist at the Telstra Research Laboratories in Melbourne, Australia. At the Open University, I was chair of the course T396: Artificial Intelligence for Technology and founder of the Intelligent Computer Systems Research Group.

I joined Nottingham Trent University in 2001, where I became Dean of the School of Computing & Informatics. I joined De Montfort University in 2007 as Dean of the Faculty of Technology, then Sheffield Hallam University in 2011 as Pro Vice-Chancellor & Dean of the Sheffield Business School. I was Director General & Dean of HEC Liège from 2015 to 2017, leading the School to its EQUIS accreditation. I joined the University of Portsmouth in October 2017.

Research interests

My main research interests are in artificial intelligence and its practical applications. I also maintain an interest in materials engineering and optoelectronic devices. I have supervised 21 PhD projects to completion and published more than 100 refereed research articles. My text book Intelligent Systems for Engineers and Scientists: A Practical Guide to Artificial Intelligence is ranked as a bestseller. The fourth edition was published by Taylor & Francis (CRC Press) in December 2022.