Digital Futures Institute

The Digital Futures Institute is a leading regional hub for technology focused research, knowledge exchange, consultancy and training. The Institute has its principal base at the DigiTech Centre on Adastral Park, and collaborates closely with partners such as BT plc and Innovation Martlesham companies.

Vision

To develop and apply computer science and engineering in creative, sustainable and responsible ways for the betterment of society, the economy and individual citizens.

Mission

The Digital Futures Institute undertakes research and knowledge exchange across a broad range of computer science and cognate engineering areas. The Institute collaborates with academic partners in the UK and internationally on activities of mutual interest. The Institute supports and works with multinational companies, small-to-medium-sized enterprises and third sector organisations on technical consultancy, funded innovation projects and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.

Themes

The Digital Futures Institute has four broad themes of research:

Technology: This encompasses future networks, cyber security and improving software development itself. This includes considerations of quality of service and the sustainability of computing in terms of reducing energy consumption.
People: This covers human-computer interaction, accessible design, mixed realities (virtual, extended, and augmented), vision science and gamification. Our work includes the development of apps, serious games and improving entertainment games.
Applications: This is an information-centric theme, focusing principally on applying artificial intelligence and data science techniques to text, audio, image and video data in a variety of domains such as health. This theme also includes elements of knowledge management, computing education and responsible AI.
Engineering: This theme is cyber-physical in nature combining software and equipment. This embraces interests in drones, Internet-of-Things devices, new sensors and sensing techniques, and more.

Although the Institute’s expertise can be categorised into themes, projects can and do straddle multiple themes and connect outwith to other Institutes and elsewhere in the University.

Our People

Professor Valerie Gladwell - Director of Institute of Health and Wellbeing
Dr Rachael Martin - Senior Lecturer in Psychology, School of Social Sciences and Humanities
Professor Brian McCook - Dean of School of Social Sciences and Humanities
Professor Darryl Newport - Director of Suffolk Sustainability Institute
Dr Keith Ruiter - Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences and Humanities
Dr Javiera Atenas - Senior Lecturer in Learning and Teaching Enhancement
Dr Abbie Millett - Senior Lecturer in Psychology

Graeme Derby - Head of Business Development and Knowledge Exchange
India Green - Knowledge Exchange Manager
Rory Bannerman - Knowledge Exchange Officer

Prof Babak Akhgar - Visiting Professor of Informatics
Prof Ben Azvine - Visiting Professor of Security Systems
Dr Bhushan Bonde - Visiting Professor of Computational Biology
Dr David Heatley - Visiting Professor of e-Health Innovation
Dr Andrew Jones - Visiting Professor of Cyber Security
Lisa Perkins - Visiting Professor of Telecommunications
Prof Duncan Bell - Visiting Professor of Medicine
Dr Mahesh Prahladan - Visiting Professor of Haematology
Fred Langford (ISJC) - Visiting Professor in Safeguarding Technology
Prof. Mohamed Abdel-Maguid - Visiting Professor of Smart Systems
Prof. Peter Cochrane - Professor Digital Economy and Strategic Innovation Management
Prof Steven Furnell - Visiting Professor of Cyber Security

Get in Touch

If you would like to join our mailing list or get in touch with us to discuss research, training or opportunities to collaborate together, please use the links below.

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