School of Computing, Engineering and Intelligent Systems

12/06/2026

🚀 Digital Discovery Day Part 2: Inspiring Young Minds through Blockchain, Digital Trust and Emerging Technologies

We were delighted to deliver Digital Discovery Day Part 2 at Ulster University’s Belfast campus, continuing our mission to inspire young learners to explore the technologies shaping the future of computing, law, medicine, governance, public services and industry.

The event welcomed 52 Year 11 pupils, including 30 students from All Saints College, Beechmount Avenue campus and 22 pupils from St Genevieve’s School.

Led by Dr Vimal Dwivedi, PhD (SCEIS), John Keers BL (Centre for Legal Technology, School of Law), and Dr Priyank Shukla (School of Medicine), the session explored the real-world impact of blockchain, smart contracts, cryptocurrency and digital trust.

Pupils engaged with international academic and industry experts, including Dr Alex Norta (Dymaxion OU, Estonia), Dr Sowelu Avanzo (University of Torino), and Dr Syed Attique Shah (Birmingham City University), gaining insights into how emerging technologies are transforming finance, healthcare, legal systems, cybersecurity, governance, digital identity and public services.

💡 It was inspiring to see such enthusiasm, curiosity, and thoughtful engagement as students explored both the opportunities and ethical challenges of digital innovation.

👏 Thank you to All Saints College, St Genevieve’s School and Darryl McCullagh from Ulster University’s Widening Access team for their support.

This initiative is proudly supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation Trust, helping to empower young people to think critically, creatively and responsibly about the digital future.

11/06/2026

✨ 5th Amelia Earhart STEM Challenge - Sponsored by Kainos ✨

We were delighted to host the 5th Amelia Earhart STEM Challenge, welcoming 17 secondary schools to Ulster University’s Derry~Londonderry campus in partnership with St Mary’s College and the Royal Academy of Engineering.

This inspiring event challenged students to demonstrate their creativity, teamwork, technical knowledge and problem-solving skills while celebrating Amelia Earhart’s pioneering legacy in aviation. With an unforgettable helicopter flight over the North West awarded to the winning team, the competition provided both excitement and opportunity for all involved.

A sincere thank you to Richard Ward, Ryan Harkin, Siobhan Flynn, Clare Doherty and the team at St Mary’s College, whose dedication and collaboration continue to make this event such a success.

We are also grateful to Kainos for kindly sponsoring the challenge and to Tania Carlisle, Corporate Engagement Partner in our Development & Alumni Relations Office (DARO), who highlighted: “Strong partnerships between universities and businesses are vital in driving innovation, nurturing future talent and ensuring our graduates are equipped with the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital world. We are grateful to our strategic partner Kainos for their support for the Amelia Earhart STEM Challenge Day, inspiring the next generation to explore opportunities in computing, engineering, and intelligent systems.”

Congratulations to all the students who took part and showcased the incredible STEM talent across our region. 🚁✨



University Alumni and Supporters

08/06/2026

✨ GenAIEdu 2026 - 18-19 June 2026, Ulster University, Belfast Campus ✨

Join us at GenAIEdu 2026, taking place 18–19 June at Ulster University's Belfast campus. Hear from leading educators, researchers, and industry experts discussing AI literacy, assessment integrity, classroom practice, personalised learning, and the future of education.

20+ talks over 2 days exploring the future of Generative and Agentic AI in Education.

Featuring keynote speakers, practitioner showcases, panel discussions, and insights into tools including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, and Agentic AI.

📅 18–19 June 2026

🎓 Theme: Generative and Agentic AI in Education: Classroom Practice, Assessment Integrity and the Future of Learning

🔗 Conference website:

https://lnkd.in/eEtdsqQk

🎟️ Registration:

https://store.ulster.ac.uk/product-catalogue/faculty-of-computing-engineering/school-of-computing-and-intelligent-systems/genaiedu-2026-june-conference-registration

Please note: Tickets are sold per conference day attendance. A separate paid registration is required for each day attended.

📧 Registration queries: [email protected] (Subject: GenAIEdu Registration Query)

Places are limited - register now.

04/06/2026

🎓 PhD Opportunity: AI & Wearable Technology for Parkinson’s Disease (PD-LIFE Project)

Interested in using AI and wearable technology to improve the lives of people living with Parkinson’s disease?

Ulster University is seeking a PhD researcher to join the pioneering all-island PD-LIFE collaborative programme, dedicated to advancing the understanding, monitoring, and management of Parkinson’s disease.

This fully funded 3-year PhD project will focus on developing AI-powered wearable technologies that can monitor, classify, and predict Parkinson’s symptoms using multimodal sensor data. Working within a multidisciplinary team across multiple universities, you’ll gain valuable experience in artificial intelligence, digital health, and participatory research while contributing to innovative, person-centred healthcare solutions.

✅ Fully funded studentship (£26,585 stipend + tuition fees + research support)
✅ Cutting-edge research in AI, wearable technology, and healthcare
✅ Collaborative, interdisciplinary research environment
✅ Opportunity to make a meaningful impact on future Parkinson’s care

If you have an interest in AI, wearable technologies, and healthcare innovation, we encourage you to apply.

Further details are available at: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/doctoralcollege/find-a-phd/11b-intelligent-systems/1843524

Implementing AI‑Enabled Wearable Technologies for Symptom Prediction in Parkinson’s Disease: A PD‑LIFE Project

02/06/2026

✨ Congratulations Dr Kaniska Samanta ✨

We are delighted to congratulate Kaniska Samanta on the successful defence of his PhD thesis, "Closed-Loop Fatigue Monitoring and Adaptation in Brain-Computer Interfaces for Personalised Neurorehabilitation". 🎓🧠

Kaniska completed his doctoral research under the supervision of Dr Saugat Bhattacharyya, Prof Girijesh Prasad and Prof KongFatt Wong-Lin within the Computational Neuroscience and Neurotechnology Team, making a significant contribution to latent brain state monitoring and personalised brain-computer interfacing. 🧠⚙️✨

We extend our sincere thanks to Dr Emmet McNickle (Queen’s University Belfast) and Dr Nazmul Siddiqui (Ulster University) for their time, expertise and rigour in examining the thesis. 👏📚

We wish Kaniska every success in his future endeavours and look forward to the continued impact of his research on neurorehabilitation and beyond. 🚀

Please join us in congratulating Dr Kaniska Samanta! 🎉🎓

29/05/2026

✨ Congratulations to the winners of our Final Year Project Competition! ✨

We are delighted to celebrate the outstanding achievements, creativity and innovation demonstrated by our Computing and Engineering students.

The Project Excellence competition, sponsored by the Engineers and Scientists in Business Fund (ESBF), showcased exceptional projects featuring technical excellence, real-world impact, innovative problem-solving, and impressive research and development skills.

From AI and software engineering to robotics and engineering design, our students continue to push boundaries and deliver inspiring solutions to real-world challenges.

A huge congratulations to all finalists for their hard work, dedication and professionalism throughout the competition.

The winning students for Engineering were:

🥇 1st: Dylan Mooney
🥈 2nd: Rosie Wildwood
🥉 3rd: Reuben Orr

And for Computing:

🥇 1st: Jack Kyle
🥈 2nd: Nathan Gallagher
🥉 3rd: Chloe McCarter

We would also like to thank our industry judges and colleagues for supporting the event and helping us recognise the next generation of innovators and engineers.

Special thanks to Ivan Smith (Terex), Gary McGuire (Seagate), James Deery (Vertiv), Martin Lynch (Kainos), Kaitlyn Nicell (AE Global), Elln-Louise Legge (Arclin/DuPont), Aaron Donaghey (Alchemy), Myia Boyle (Alchemy), Fergus Begley (UU), Sean McCaul (UU), and Johnny Wallace (UU).

👏 Well done to everyone involved — the future of computing and engineering is bright!

27/05/2026

✨ Congratulations Dr Brendan Lenfesty ✨

We are delighted to congratulate Brendan Lenfesty on the successful defence of his PhD thesis, "Data-driven system identification and neural circuit modelling of perceptual decisions".

Brendan completed his doctoral research under the supervision of Professor KongFatt Wong-Lin and Dr Saugat Bhattacharyya within the Cognitive Neuroscience and Neurotechnology Team. 👏

We extend our sincere thanks to Professor Jiaxiang Zhang and Dr Cian O'Donnell for their time, expertise and rigour in examining the thesis.

Please join us in congratulating Dr Brendan Lenfesty!

26/05/2026

✨ ISRC Research Seminar | Speaker: Dr Ingrid Odermatt, Brain-Computer Interfaces for neurorehabilitation ✨

Dr Ingrid Odermatt (Queen's University, Belfast) delivered an engaging ISRC Research Seminar exploring how motor imagery can support brain–computer interface (BCI) control and neurorehabilitation.

The seminar highlighted how imagined movements can activate sensorimotor brain regions even in the absence of movement or sensory input, with applications ranging from cortical mapping in tetraplegia to home-based neurofeedback interventions for stroke rehabilitation using mobile EEG systems.

Many thanks to Dr Ingrid Odermatt for an insightful seminar and to Dr Cian O’Donnell for organising the event.

14/05/2026

✨Celebrating women in mathematics and STEM at yesterday’s Women in Maths event! ✨

We were delighted to welcome Sumeeta Gupta (Kumon Study Centre Director & Organiser of NI Maths Fest), Lauren McBurney (Computer Science student) and Ava Rijkers (PhD Researcher) for an inspiring afternoon of talks, discussion and networking.

The event featured:

📽️ A documentary on Maryam Mirzakhani
👩‍🔬 Discussions on the importance of women in STEM
💡 Information about the Magee Women in STEM Society and NI Maths Fest
📚 Talks highlighting influential Irish women mathematicians and scientists
☕ Networking over tea, coffee and refreshments

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to making the event such a success - our speakers, organisers and attendees. The event was jointly organised by the ISRC, the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) and the Magee Women in STEM Society.

12/05/2026

✨ Ulster University 2026 Research Excellence Awards ✨

Congratulations to Professor Michaela Black on receiving an Ulster University 2026 Research Excellence Award 🎉

Recognised for her outstanding contribution to research, innovation and collaboration, Professor Black is leading the way in Sustainable, Responsible and Ethical AI through her inspiring mantra: RAISE – Responsible AI iS an Enabler.

Her work spans European healthcare research projects focused on improving health and well-being services for citizens, including advances in diabetes, lung cancer and cognitive health. Alongside this, her passion for collaboration and public involvement continues to shape policy, healthcare interventions and innovation strategies.

She currently leads two major centres: the AI Collaboration Centre (£16.3M across two campuses) and the City Deal Innovation Centre CARL (£11M, Derry/Londonderry), successfully growing staff capacity, stakeholder engagement, innovation opportunities, solutions and research capability to help secure sustainable futures for both.

Such a well-deserved recognition for outstanding leadership, impact and commitment to research excellence 👏