Alison Kwan | Head of Operations | The Coders Guild
I began my career as an English teacher, spending three years in the classroom before transitioning into the charity sector.
There, I gained experience in environmental work and later focused on youth homelessness. My passion for education led me back into the field in a project role within Further Education, where I worked in the Innovation and Development Team. In this role, I successfully led and secured funding for a range of educational projects across a group of FE colleges, spanning community outreach projects, skills programmes to EDI initiatives, and inclusive sport provision. Currently, I serve as Head of Operations at The Coders Guild, where I oversee the day-to-day running of our skills and training programmes. A key achievement in this role has been the conception and launch of a Women’s Leadership Skills Bootcamp, designed to upskill and empower women in male-dominated industries. The programme’s first pilot, launched in September, brought together women from North Yorkshire to develop leadership skills and confidence—resulting in direct career progression, including promotions and new roles for participants. Beyond my professional work, I am committed to driving diversity and inclusion in tech. I volunteer as an ambassador for Women in Tech York and contribute to the Women Pivoting to Digital Task Force, a national coalition of businesses, training providers, and government agencies working to increase female representation in the tech industry.
Asra Aslam | Assistant Professor of Data Science & AI | University of Sheffield
I am Assistant Professor of AI & Data Science at University of Sheffield. I am also Principal Investigator at Alan Turing institute in collaboration with Industry “Transport for London TfL”.
Previously, I was Research Fellow and Machine Learning Lead (AI & Health Data Sciences) at University of Leeds, UK for 2 years on NIHR project (collaboration of University of Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow and others). My work on NHS project also got shortlisted as one of the top 2 finalists for the prestigious ‘Hildi Franke Award’ at the Primary Health Care Specialist Group’s 43rd Annual Conference, Education Day, and AGM 2024. In addition to that, I was also ”Honoured Visiting Researcher” at Newcastle University. I also worked as a “Machine Learning Research Scientist” in the AI Industry and previously Lecturer in academics. I completed my Ph.D. in 2021 from the Insight Centre for Data Analytics, University of Galway, Ireland. She is General Chair for Women in Computer Vision community (>2000 members) @IEEE/CVF CVPR, recipient of Global Talent Endorsement (with Exceptional) by UKRI, winner of ”Academic/Education leader of the Year Award”, and ”Rising Start of the Year Award” in Tech Excellence in Nov 2024 by Computing Co., UK. I am also Co-PI and PI on multiple grants including NIHR Team Science, Alan Turing, Horizon, AIM-RSF, UKRI CDT etc. I authored over 27 research publications (>1400 citations) and serves on the Editorial Board, Area Chair, and Program Committee, contributing to multiple top-tier journals and leading international conferences.
Audrey Low | Race Against Dementia Research Fellow | University of Cambridge
I am a dementia researcher studying the early risk factors of dementia to inform dementia prevention targets.
I completed my PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2022, and have since been awarded a research fellowship from Race Against Dementia to advance my ongoing research. Prior to my PhD, I studied Psychology at the National University of Singapore, where I developed a deep appreciation of brain health. After my undergraduate studies, I worked in the Singapore government for several years conducting healthcare policy research, which gave me insights into how policies are developed, evaluated, and communicated to the public. Through this role, I grew to see how our ability to make good policy decisions was inherently limited by how little we knew about dementia. After much thought, I realised that returning to my love of neuroscience to do dementia research was effectively how I could contribute most meaningfully. So, I left my role and reinvented my career path, starting as a research assistant, a PhD student, and now a postdoctoral researcher. Looking ahead, I am hopeful that my years of experience working in the government will help me communicate effectively with policymakers to translate our research into real-world changes in policy.
Dr Bo Kelestyn | Associate Professor | Warwick Business School
Dr Bozhena (Bo) Kelestyn is a design thinking academic and practitioner with a diverse teaching and consulting portfolio.
She works as an Associate Professor and Course Director for the MSc in Management of Information Systems and Digital Innovation (which Bo is also an alumna of) at the Warwick Business School (WBS). Bo is passionate about democratising design thinking. Outside of academia, Bo worked with The Guardian Masterclasses as their lead design thinking masterclass tutor. Bo also partnered with Warwick School to co-found the first in the UK school design thinking award, which has been completed by 200+ pupils. In May 2022, shortly after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Bo leveraged her design thinking expertise to develop a vision for an educational leadership programme. Partnering with the Ukrainian Leadership Academy, with support from Ukraines Ministry of Education and Science and Ministry of Digital Transformation, Bo founded the first and only of its kind Masters level programme, Leadership for Educational Transformation (LET), aimed at supporting the rebuilding and transformation of education in Ukraine. In 2024, 40+ educators from 25+ institutions in Ukraine completed the programme at Warwick, impacting individual careers and strengthening Ukraines educational leadership cadre. Bo holds several awards for her contribution to teaching and learning. Bo is the youngest at Warwick and only second at WBS to hold the Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA), first at WBS and only one of three at Warwick to hold the Fellowship of Enterprise Educators UK (FEEUK).
Harriet Benbow | Principal Teacher of Raising Attainment & Digital Learning | Perth & Kinross Council
I started my career as a Primary Teacher, I have been a teacher for 12 years now. I was asked to lead Digital Learning within my school.
It was a challenge to start with as we had poor WiFi, lack of resources and anxious staff, but we started small. I established a set of Digital Leaders (pupil age) who developed their own Digital Skills and then cascaded the information they learned to others. I also delivered training during collegiate and In- Service time. This is where I realised I had a real passion for helping others, particularly when it came to Digital Learning. I then became an Education Support Officer, working in the central team with all Early Years, Primary and Secondary settings (over 100 settings in total). I helped them prove outcomes for young people through use of Digital. In this role I was responsible for the Education Digital Strategy and also helping each Education Setting create their own Digital Strategy and manageable action plan. To date I have helped over 40 settings achieve their Digital Schools Award. I am a big believer in preparing our young people for their uncertain future, I think a big part of this is providing them with adaptable skills for their uncertain future. These skills include Digital Literacy, Digital Well-being, Cyber Resilience and Internet Safety. Through my work as an Education Support Officer I have delivered a variety of of professional development sessions for Educators to help them develop skills within EdTech.
Heidi Hinchliffe | Senior Lecturer | London South Bank University
I work at London South Bank University as a Senior Lecturer in Business Skills and Placement Module Lead.
Prior to this, I had a 23-year career in Recruitment in London and 6 years as a teacher both in Australia and London. My interests include empowering all students to develop employability skills, confidence, resilience and ultimately self-efficacy in order to successfully apply knowledge into work placed learning. Prior to joining LSBU I held a wide variety of managerial and educational recruitment positions. I began my career as a Consultant attracting and retaining staff to work in Local Authority inner city schools, followed by becoming an Account Manager developing bespoke worldwide recruitment campaigns for various Local Authorities across England. For the last 4 years of my recruitment career, I developed training solutions for students to be effective classroom practitioners in schools, while developing partnerships with Universities in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. As a Senior Manager, I have successfully led sales and support teams, including remote teams, to achieve the aims of supporting schools and candidates through ongoing training and account management support. Prior to my recruitment career, I worked as a Teacher in inner city Brisbane, Australia where I worked in both single-teacher schools and multiage classrooms where I developed a strong awareness of the importance of community in lifelong learning. I also worked in London as both a classroom teacher and a member of the SLT. I am also a Trustee, Local Governor and Board Member of a MAT.
Joanne Kenney | Research Fellow | University of Edinburgh
I am a Research Fellow at the Hub for Metabolic Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, where I investigate the complex interactions between neuroimaging, genetics, and immunometabolic dysfunction in psychiatric disorders.
My work integrates AI and data science techniques to uncover novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets in mental illness. With over 15 years of experience in academic research, I have held positions at Trinity College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. My academic background spans Electronic & Computer Engineering, Psychology, Cognitive & Clinical Neuroscience, and Clinical Neuroimaging. I have authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications and received multiple research awards, including the Schizophrenia International Research Society Early Career Award (2021) and Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland Research Awards. Having personally experienced bullying and harassment in my scientific career, I co-founded Women in Research, a network supporting women and underrepresented groups in academia. I am deeply concerned about recent DEI policy changes, particularly in the US, where funding cuts have threatened essential research in mental health equity. In response, I co-founded the International Consortium for Equity in Neuroscience (ICEN) with Harvard University, a global initiative committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in science. We have published papers on global trends in academic DEI. I am passionate about using cutting-edge technology to improve mental health research and clinical practice while ensuring that science is inclusive, diverse, and representative.
Khadijat Olorunlambe | Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering | University of Birmingham
Dr. Khadijat Abiola Olorunlambe is an award-winning educator and researcher dedicated to using digital engineering to address complex medical challenges.
She has a passion for engineering educational excellence with a wealth of teaching and supervision experience in higher education teaching, teaching overseas and online teaching. Her current research focuses on using acoustic emission (AE) testing to monitor and interpret tribological phenomena in natural and artificial joints, aiming to provide dynamic and intuitive diagnostic tools for joint pathologies. Khadijat holds a first-class MEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering (Biomedical) and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Birmingham. Her doctoral research explored the use of AE signals to diagnose tribological phenomena in artificial joint materials, employing machine learning techniques to predict joint degeneration and failure. She was previously a Teaching Fellow and Postgraduate Teaching Associate at the University of Birmingham, enhancing her skills in module development, lecturing, and project supervision. Currently, as an Assistant Professor and Head of Education for Mechanical Engineering, she collaborates with colleagues to enhance teaching and learning by leveraging digital technologies to improve student engagement and academic excellence. She has published in high-impact journals and presented at international conferences. She is an active member of professional organisations such as the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Higher Education Academy. She is also committed to public engagement through outreach activities, mentoring, and STEM education initiatives.
Rana Tajvidi | Senior Lecturer and Program Leader in Marketing | London South Bank University
Dr Rana Tajvidi is a Senior Lecturer in Digital Marketing and Program Leader for UG Marketing Courses at the Business School, London South Bank University.
She teaches across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Rana received her PhD and MBA in Marketing from Bangor University (North Wales, UK) and an Executive Management (MSc) qualification from Industrial Management University, Iran. Her research interests focus on Digital Marketing, AI, Social Media Marketing, Consumer Behaviour, and SMEs Performance. Her work has been published in several management and marketing journals and presented at internationally reputed academic conferences. Rana worked for nine years as a Marketing Manager at ITM Co., a leading manufacturing company in the Middle East, before transitioning to academia. Since joining LSBU, she has taken on various roles, including Course Director for the Euro-FH University Summer School courses, Academic Integrity Coordinator in the Marketing division, Head of Personal Tutoring, and Associate Course Director for MSc Marketing and MSc International Marketing courses. Dr Rana is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and a member of the Academy of Marketing (AOM). Her teaching expertise includes Marketing Research, Direct and Digital Marketing, Research Methods, and Brand Management. Rana currently supervises 5 PhD students in Digital Marketing and AI-related topics and 20 postgraduate applied projects every year.
Nisha Menon | Lecturer of Business Skills | London Southbank University
Nisha Menon is a Lecturer at LSBU Business School, where she plays a pivotal role in guiding Postgraduate students through their internships, helping them identify career opportunities aligned with their strengths and aspirations.
With over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience importing her 2 Food brands into the UK, she brings practical business insights into the classroom, equipping students with real-world entrepreneurial skills. As a passionate advocate for student employability, she has spearheaded initiatives at the university to connect international PG students with employers, creating more job opportunities in this tough market. Her dedication has led to consecutive nominations for LSBU’s Employability Enhancement Awards in 2023 and 2024. As part of the university’s Help to Grow scheme, she has delivered modules and also shared industry insights as a Guest Speaker. She also mentors both Postgraduate and Undergraduate students in starting an Import/Export business in the UK. Beyond academia, she actively supports small businesses through mentoring. In 2023, she served as a mentor for the Boxpark Croydon competition, where her mentee won a pop-up space. In 2020, she launched her You Tube channel (now over 450K views) to support & educate aspiring entrepreneurs with importing goods into the UK. Recognised as a three-time finalist in the Croydon Business Awards, she has also been featured by BBC News, BBC Radio, and various podcasts. She has spoken on various industry panels, including LSBU’s Earth Day event on sustainability and AGCAS’s International Graduate Roundtable on discussing employment prospects for international students.