Newsletter Issue - 16-10-2026
CDT Weekly Newsletter
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UK AI Research Symposium 2026
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Clocks go back on 25 October 2026
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Engage with the Met Office Academic Partnership
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Entrepreneurship Workshop
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Bristol Doctoral College (BDC) Events and Opportunities
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Bristol Data Week 2026: Recordings now available
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Reminder: UK AI Research Symposium (UKAIRS 2026)
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Transformative Sustainable AI Technologies – Funding Opportunity
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Join the Data Ethics Club organising team
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Data Ethics Club
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AI CDT Lunch and Learn Seminar
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EDI Hub+ Webinars
Welcome to this week’s issue of the newsletter.
UK AI Research Symposium 2026
UKAIRS invites researchers, students, and practitioners to submit the following types of contributions:
- World Class Research Track (already published conference or journal paper): You will submit your peer-reviewed and published work (PDF).
- Emerging Research (2 page abstract): Research and early-stage research. You may propose a demo or a poster slot.
Eligibility
Students and researchers from institutions who have received or are eligible for UKRI AI investments (eg. all UK Universities) can submit under the World Class Research Track (already published conference or journal paper to present on) and/or Emerging Research Track (abstract for poster/demo).For topics and submission details, go to: www.ukairs.ac.uk/i/CallforSubmissions
Important dates:· 22 June 2026: Deadline for submitting papers, abstracts, posters, and demos
· 10 August 2026: Notification
· 13 September: Early Registration Deadline
To submit, go to: https://www.ukairs.ac.uk/Submission. If you have any questions, please contact APRIL@ed.ac.uk.
Register here: www.efdelegates.ed.ac.uk/UKAIRS
Clocks go back on 25 October 2026
A reminder that the clocks will go back one hour at 2am on 25 October, marking the official end of British Summer Time.
Please prepare emotionally for the sudden abundance of sleep and the confusion of wondering whether it’s really the time you think it is!
Engage with the Met Office Academic Partnership
27 October 2026, 1:00pm - 2:00pm, Online (Microsoft Teams)
Join Dann Mitchell and Rachel James from the School of Geographical Sciences for an introduction to the Met Office Academic Partnership. They will share updates on current collaborations and outline future opportunities to engage with the partnership.
The session will be particularly useful for those interested in working with the Met Office, with opportunities to learn more about potential routes for collaboration, including research and studentship opportunities.
The talk will be followed by a Q&A.
If you have topics you would like to see covered in a future How-To Session, or would like to contribute to a session, please email cs-staff-enquiries@bristol.ac.uk.
Entrepreneurship Workshop
22 October, approx. 9:30am – 1:00pm, Room 3.18, 35 Berkeley Square
Join SETsquared for a half-day workshop exploring how to turn research ideas into commercial opportunities. The session will cover the commercialisation process, intellectual property (IP), business planning and market research.
You will learn about protecting and commercialising research, developing a value proposition, identifying potential customers and competitors, and evaluating market opportunities. Participants will also receive practical tools and resources, supporting materials, and access to advice from experienced mentors and legal specialists.
The cost is £120 with limited places available. The cost will be charged to your RTSG.
If you wish to attend, please sign up using the online form and let us know.
Bristol Doctoral College (BDC) Events and Opportunities
1. Beyond the Thesis: Academic-adjacent careers in the UK
20 October 2026, 10:00 – 11:30, Online
Are you a PhD student wondering how your research skills translate outside of traditional academic roles? Join the Careers Service for an online introductory session designed to map out research-adjacent careers in the UK.
This session is open to all disciplines but is highly recommended for 1st and 2nd-year full-time PhDs looking to explore their options early.
In this webinar, you will learn:• Decoding the Sector: Exactly what “research-adjacent” means and why it matters.
• Career Pathways: A look at the diverse professional routes available to you.
• Next Steps: Essential resources to kickstart your own career research.
2. Introduction to Quantitative Data Analysis
21 & 22 October 2026, 09:30 – 13:00, Online
A practical two-day course covering quantitative data fundamentals — from collection and measurement to analysis and public data sources.
Book your tickets for Day 1 here.
Book your tickets for Day 2 here.
Bristol Data Week 2026: Recordings now available
Recordings from Bristol Data Week 2026 are now available on YouTube. Catch up on keynote speeches, expert talks and panel discussions exploring how technology is shaping the world, including sessions on the Museum of Languages and Open Research in the Age of AI.
Reminder: UK AI Research Symposium (UKAIRS 2026)
The UK AI Research Symposium (UKAIRS) will be held this year in Edinburgh at the John McIntyre Conference Centre on 24 - 25 November.
UKAIRS brings together the UK AI research community to showcase research, encourage collaboration and explore future directions for AI. The symposium welcomes students, researchers, industry partners and policymakers from a wide range of disciplines.Find out more about UKAIRS 2026 and register here.
Transformative Sustainable AI Technologies – Funding Opportunity
Deadline: Tuesday 10 November 2026
UKRI has launched a new funding opportunity for high-risk, speculative research with the potential to transform the sustainability of future AI systems. The opportunity is part of the UKRI IS8 AI Programme, delivered jointly by EPSRC and NERC, and aims to support the development of AI systems that are sustainable by design.
Find out more about the funding opportunity.
Join the Data Ethics Club organising team
The Data Ethics Club is looking for new organisers from all AI CDT cohorts, as Huw Day and Jessica Woodgate will be stepping down soon.
The club meets monthly to discuss the ethical use of data science, using papers, blog posts, books, podcasts and videos to spark discussion. It’s a great opportunity for PhD students interested in ethics to get involved and help select reading materials and prepare discussion questions.
Organisers share tasks including planning meetings, maintaining the website and GitHub repository, promoting sessions and writing up discussions. The commitment is around two hours per month, in addition to attending meetings. No special skills are needed, and tasks can be shared based on your interests.
Interested in joining? Find out more about how the club is organised or email the team.
Data Ethics Club
26 November 2026, online (Zoom), 1 - 2pm
The next meeting of the Data Ethics Club will take place on 26 November. There is no need to register, just pop in!
For more information about the club and upcoming discussions, see Data Ethics Club.
AI CDT Lunch and Learn Seminar
Please save the date for our next CDT AI Lunch and Learn Seminar as follows:
Date: Wednesday 21 October
Location: Room 3.305, Sloane Robinson Building
Time: 1:30 - 3pm
Speaker: Souhaib Ben Taieb
(Associate Professor at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.)Talk Title: Interpretable Multivariate Conformal Prediction via Low-Dimensional Product Regions
We will have a light lunch and the chance to network with colleagues in the social area, room 3.710 from 1:30 - 2pm followed by the talk in room 3.305 from 2pm - 3pm. Please join us if you can.
EDI Hub+ Webinars
1. The Well-Chaired Meeting – Is it even possible?
Wednesday 21 October, 12:00–1:00pm
Find out how to create effective meeting agendas, prevent meetings from being dominated or going off track, and hear initial findings from the project.
Speaker: Professor Averil Macdonald, University of Southampton
2. ResearchYourWay: A case study
Wednesday 11 November, 12:00–1:00pm
This webinar explores hidden barriers to PhD opportunities in mathematics, the benefits and limitations of a community-first approach, and how to get involved. It may be particularly relevant to those working with PhD students.
Speaker: Dr Kat Phillips, University of Warwick
Forthcoming Calendar of Events
UK AI Research Symposium
- 2026-11-24
- 2026-11-24
- Emerging Research (2 page abstract): Research and early-stage research. You may propose a demo or a poster slot.