Queen Mary researchers shine at The Alan Turing Institute 

Artist's impression of an AI neural network

Drs Matteo Fumagalli, Nicola Perra, and Haim Dubossarsky, all based in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, join a cohort of 51 new Turing Fellows nationwide, recognised for their outstanding contributions to data science and artificial intelligence (AI). 

The Turing Fellowship is a highly competitive program that supports the careers of top researchers while advancing the Institute's goals in tackling societal challenges through science and innovation. These three QM researchers bring a fascinating range of expertise to the table: 

• Dr Matteo Fumagalli asks fascinating questions about the link between evolution and disease susceptibility. He leverages AI to analyse vast amounts of genetic data, exploring how past adaptations might now contribute to health challenges. His research not only sheds light on human evolution but also holds potential for developing personalised medicine strategies. 
• Dr Nicola Perra's expertise lies in human dynamics and data analysis within networks. His research on social media and network science, when combined with AI tools, could lead to breakthroughs in understanding the spread of information, disease outbreaks, or even cyber security threats. 
• Dr Haim Dubossarsky brings his background in computational linguistics to the table. He examines how languages change over time and how AI models can be used to improve both our understanding of language evolution and the effectiveness of NLP tools. 

In addition to the new fellows, the University celebrates the renewal of Turing Fellowships for Professors Ruth Ahnert (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences), Michael Barnes (Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry), Emmanouil Benetos (Faculty of Science and Engineering), Ginestra Bianconi (Faculty of Science and Engineering), and Dr Panos Panagiotopoulos (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences). These Fellows are along Professor Maria Liakata (Faculty of Science and Engineering), who currently holds a Turing AI Fellowship. 

Professor Greg Slabaugh, Director of the Digital Environment Research Institute (DERI) and Turing Liaison for Queen Mary at The Alan Turing Institute, congratulated the awardees, stating: "We are delighted that three outstanding Queen Mary researchers have been recognised by the Alan Turing Institute under the most recent Turing Fellow call. These Fellowships are awarded to researchers with proven research excellence in data science and AI, with research areas aligned to Turing's science and innovation priorities. The Turing Fellows will help with the delivery of the Turing strategic goals whilst representing Queen Mary as active members of the Turing community.”