Our people

• Professor Daniel Neyland

  BDFI Co-Director
  

  Daniel is a social scientist and Professor of Digital Futures in the Bristol University Business School. For over 20 years, he has worked on collaborative sociotechnical projects with computer scientists and engineers, developing new ways of working and thinking.

• Professor Raul Santos-Rodriguez

  BDFI Co-Director
  

  Raul is a UKRI Turing AI Fellow and Professor of Data Science and AI and Intelligent Systems at the School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology, University of Bristol. Prior to his current role, he held positions both in the creative technology industry and academia.

• Rachel Prior

  Institute Manager
  Rachel oversees institute operations, leading long‑term planning, guiding bid development, and aligning activity with BDFI strategy. She supports cross‑faculty research and manages relationships with key stakeholders to strengthen collaboration across the University.
• Peter Oliver

  Business Development Manager
  Peter is the lead contact for our partners at BDFI. He supports the planning and implementation of engagement activities with new and existing partners to drive forward connectivity and co-creation across projects in the BDFI.
• Lucy Jupe

  Senior Communications and Events Administrator
  Lucy leads BDFI’s communications across social media, newsletters and the website. She supports the planning and delivery of events, creates engaging content, and helps ensure BDFI maintains a clear and consistent brand.
• William Campbell

  Senior Research Administrator
  William provides administrative support across the institute, covering finances, diary management, events, and governance. He coordinates BDFI’s operations, managing budgets, payments, records, and reporting, and maintains key procedures and databases.

• Adrian Ng

  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.
• Ashley Bligh

  Technical Expert - Networks
  Ashley works as a Network Specialist within the UoB IT Network team, where he supports network connectivity across all the university buildings. His responsibilities also include designing, configuring, and deploying new networks, including those at BDFI.
• Leah van Jaarsveld

  Technical Expert - Data Centre
  Leah manages the Software-Defined Data Centre, ensuring secure and efficient private cloud operations. She builds tailored tenant environments for machine learning and rendering workloads, using automation to streamline provisioning, optimise performance, and keep infrastructure running smoothly.