The University of Birmingham is one of thirteen university partners of The Alan Turing Institute, the UK’s national institute for data science and AI.

The Institute, established in 2015, is named in honour of Alan Turing, the distinguished mathematician and computer scientist whose seminal work in the 1950s laid the theoretical and philosophical foundations of AI. Based at the British Library in London, “The Turing” is a hub for collaboration between universities, business, and public/third sector organisations in eight key challenge areas that will have major impacts for UK science, our economy, and our society.
Our researchers are collaborating with and contributing to the Turing activities across its programme areas on projects ranging from fundamental theory through to applications in materials science and healthcare. We are collaborating across disciplines and institutions to advance data science and AI technologies. Projects include:
Our Turing Team
Professor Iain Styles – Turing University Lead
Iain is Birmingham’s academic lead for the partnership with the Turing, working across the two organisations to help form new scientific partnerships and to develop the strategic partnership. At Turing, he represents Birmingham at the Turing University Leads meeting and the Research and Innovation Advisory Committee. As a Turing Fellow, he also sits on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Committee and co-chairs the Training Steering Group.
Nathaniel Byrne – University Liaison Manager
Nate is the administrative lead for the Turing partnership working across the University and the Turing to help deliver the scientific strategy. Nate is responsible for the financial and contractual aspects of the partnership and manages the communications to ensure that Birmingham researchers are properly connected to and informed about the Turing’s activities.
More than forty Birmingham academics have been appointed to The Alan Turing Institute as Fellows. Turing Fellows are scholars with proven research excellence in data science, artificial intelligence, or a related field whose research will be significantly enhanced through active involvement with the Turing network of universities and partners.

Co-Lead - Molecular Oncology, Pathology and Genetics, Professor in Surgery & Cancer Genetics
Head of West Midlands GI & Gynaecology Cancer Tumour Board
Cancer Research UK & RCSEng Advanced Clinician Scientist, Consultant Colorectal & General Surgeon
Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences
- Email
- a.beggs@bham.ac.uk

Lecturer in Metallurgy and Materials
School of Metallurgy and Materials
- Email
- b.cai@bham.ac.uk

Chair of Bioinformatics
Director of the Centre for Computational Biology
Programme Director, Online MSc in Bioinformatics
Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences
- Telephone
- +44(0)1214146480
- Email
- j.cazier@bham.ac.uk

Professor of Climate Resilience
Deputy Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer (College of Life and Environmental Sciences)
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Telephone
- 0121 414 7435
- Email
- l.chapman@bham.ac.uk

Birmingham Fellow
IIASA-NERC Research Fellow
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Email
- l.graham@bham.ac.uk

Senior Lecturer in the Psychology of Language and Language Learning
Director of Languages for All
Department of Modern Languages
- Email
- p.milin@bham.ac.uk

Lecturer in Gravitational Wave Astronomy
Royal Astronomical Society Research Fellow
School of Physics and Astronomy
- Email
- m.nicholl.1@bham.ac.uk

Professor in Health Data Science and Public Health
Honorary Consultant in Public Health Medicine
Deputy Director of the Institute of Applied Health Research
Institute of Applied Health Research
- Telephone
- +44 (0)121 414 8344
- Email
- k.nirantharan@bham.ac.uk

Associate Professor in BioSystems and Environmental Change
Alan Turing Fellow, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Founder of EnviSion, University of Birmingham Enterprise
School of Biosciences
- Telephone
- +44 (0)121 4145894
- Email
- l.orsini@bham.ac.uk

Professor of Astrophysics
Director, Institute of Gravitational Wave Astronomy
School of Physics and Astronomy
- Telephone
- 44 (0)121 414 6447
- Email
- a.vecchio@bham.ac.uk

School of Computer Science
Birmingham Fellow
Turing Fellow
Institute of Microbiology and Infection
- Email
- n.wheeler@bham.ac.uk

Reader in Operations Management
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), Turing Fellow
Head of the Procurement and Operations Management Group (POM)
Department of Management
- Telephone
- +44 (0) 121 414 6695
- Email
- zhangys@bham.ac.uk