The School of Computing and Digital Technologies currently conducts research and innovation aimed at developing and applying expertise in areas such as: robotics, artificial intelligence, computer vision, natural language processing, conversational agents, security, Internet of Things, interactive systems, augmented reality and virtual reality, data analysis, design and development.

The research brings cutting edge technologies and techniques to real world problem settings and works closely with other disciplines, including health, biomedical, and engineering. This enables the School to use its expertise and knowledge in applied settings through collaborations and external partnerships. This applied research and knowledge exchange respects the central import of inter-disciplinary collaboration, and focuses upon:

• Enriching human well-being through the development and innovation of health technologies addressing evidenced needs. This work creates and identifies technologies that have the potential to address and transform health related challenges for professionals and the public.
• Business Digital Innovation aimed at informing and enhancing business practices with state-of-the-art methods, practices and technologies. This is informed through Applied Software Engineering research based on developing and adopting innovative digital products, services and business processes.
• Societal and Organisational motivated research informing and realising safe, secure and ethical practice, amongst professionals and learners. This is of particular relevance with the widespread use of AI-based tools, the ethical use of data, gamification to achieve positive behavioural changes and sustainability.

All staff are encouraged to engage in research and innovation and are supported through a variety of schemes. The School encourages the formation and development of research groups, with a view to developing sustainable research themes.

Research staff and students

The School has 34 post-graduate research students and 17 staff with significant responsibility for research including two professors and two readers.

• Chris Roast is Reader in Human-Computer Interaction and is the department’s knowledge exchange lead.
• Alessandro Di-Nuovo is Professor of Machine Intelligence and is the leader of technological and digital innovations for independent lives for the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre.

External funding

In 2023/24 the School led funded research and knowledge transfer with a total value over £3.5m (and another £2m supporting other SHU research and innovation).

Explore some of our research projects

Contact us

To discuss the Schools's research, email Chris Roast