University of Manchester: An International conference on the advances in AI and data science returns to Manchester

The University of Manchester is again hosting the Advances in Data Science and AI Conference that will put a spotlight on some of the key topics in a field that will revolutionise how we all live and work.

The event is already attracting leading academics from across the world as they look to influence the development of AI and data science.

Following a hiatus last year, the annual conference is being run again this year on June 20-21 as a hybrid event. The in-person conference will be hosted at The University of Manchester’s newly opened engineering campus and events will also be streamed live from this state-of-the-art venue to virtual audiences.


Magnus Rattray, Professor of Computational and Systems Biology at The University of Manchester and co-organiser of the Advances in Data Science and AI Conference.
We are delighted that the Advances in Data Science and AI Conference is back in Manchester. Since our first conference in 2017, Manchester has provided the perfect place to bring together leaders in AI and related disciplines from across the world. Here we can share insights and host conversations on the exciting developments and important challenges in the field of data science and AI.

Magnus Rattray, Professor of Computational and Systems Biology at The University of Manchester and co-organiser of the Advances in Data Science and AI Conference.


The programme will feature keynote speakers, networking opportunities and panel sessions, including a big conversation on the ethics of AI that will bring together top academics and relevant business leaders. Conference themes to be discussed will include:

ethical and responsible AI: as AI-powered systems increasingly become more mainstream in society are we doing enough to futureproof the trustworthiness of this ubiquitous and powerful technology?
explainable AI (XAI): being able to accurately model AI decision-making systems and ensure they feature fairness, transparency and expected outcomes will be a crucial challenge for AI designers.
machine learning (ML): this field, which focuses on the use data and algorithms to imitate the way humans learn, has experienced an academic ‘gold rush’ with an exponential increase in research and innovation activities. Applications now range from autonomous machines to cognitive science to genetic sequencing – and machine learning is set to be a huge economic disruptor.
related topics will include multi-modal data integration and Natural Language Processing (NLP).
also The University of Manchester will reveal more about its new centres-of-excellence in AI Fundamentals and Robotics and AI research and applied innovation.
The conference is attracting world-class researchers and confirmed international speakers include:

Virginia Aglietti, Deepmind and Visiting Research Scientist, The Alan Turing Institute
Nikolaos Aletras, Lecturer in Natural Language Processing, The University of Sheffield
Umang Bhatt, University of Cambridge
Sylvie Delacroix, University of Birmingham
Darminder Ghataoura, Fujitsu
David Leslie, Director for Ethical and Trustworthy AI, The Alan Turing Institute
Christina Lioma, Professor in Computer Science, University of Copenhagen
Andre Martins, Associate Professor, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Lisbon
Naoaki Okazaki, Professor, Okazaki Lab, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Alfredo Vellido, Polytechnic University of Catalonia