We’re pleased to see the BDFI team expand as we welcome new starters from both inside and outside the university.
Social science academics
- Melissa Gregg joins BDFI as Professor of Digital Futures. An applied anthropologist with over a decade in high tech, Melissa's research investigates the future of employment, technology design and management practice, and the climate costs involved in their convergence.
- Trivik Verma joins BDFI as Associate Professor in Urban Futures, School of Policy Studies. Trivik’s research focuses on cities, inequalities, and justice. He studies various challenges of urbanisation such as segregation, inequities in access and wellbeing, transport and energy poverty, and climate-related vulnerabilities. At BDFI he will continue to explore the role of data and machine learning, participatory planning, and climate action in spatial planning practices.
- Ola Michalec will be joining as a Lecturer in Digital Futures (having already been a BDFI affiliate), splitting her time between the Business School and BDFI. Ola’s research interests revolve around understanding how experts from diverse fields collaborate on digital innovations. Previously, she applied this question to the context of critical infrastructures, cyber security, and sustainability. Ola contributes to debates in Science and Technology Studies and plays an active role in communities such as Research Institute for Sociotechnical Cyber Security
Technical leads
- Dr Adrian K. T. Ng joins as Technical Expert – Immersive Technologies. Adrian is responsible for the immersive front-end of the Reality Emulator and the growth of immersive technologies in BDFI. He has a multi-disciplinary background in engineering, psychology, and cognitive neuroscience, and extensive MR project delivery experience across multiple disciplines and technologies.
- Ashley Bligh joins as Technical Expert – Networks. Ash has been working as a Network Specialist within the UoB IT Network team, where he supported network connectivity across all the university buildings. His responsibilities also included designing, configuring, and deploying new networks, including those at BDFI.