Leadership
The Institute for Safe Autonomy will bring together expertise from across the University of York to capitalise on our exceptional research strengths.
Founding Director: Professor Miles Elsden
Professor Elsden completed a PhD in applied mathematics before working in academia, industry and government. He has worked in multiple government departments advising on a wide range of issues across science and technology. His last role in government was as Chief Scientist at the Department for Transport where he worked on issues ranging from air quality to electric and autonomous cars. He left the Civil Service in 2015 to work for a US spin-out company in Artificial Intelligence and set up his own consultancy firm.
Email: isa-director@york.ac.uk
Academic leadership
Dean of Faculty for the Sciences
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As Dean of Faculty for the Sciences, Andy works with the University Executive Board to coordinate significant strategic initiatives such as this one. Andy is an applied environmental change researcher with achievements that transcend and integrate a range of disciplines including soil science, ecology, climate services and environmental social sciences. He has extensive expertise in leading the design and implementation of transdisciplinary solutions-focused research projects.
Email: andy.dougill@york.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1904 322217
Research Lead for Design and Verification
Ana Cavalcanti is a Professor at the University of York and holds a Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies to work on Software Engineering for Robotics.
Previously, she held a Royal Society-Wolfson Research Merit Award, and a Royal Society Industry Fellowship to work with QinetiQ. Her scientific achievements have been on the design and justification of sound program development and verification techniques.
Her work provides support for graphical notations popular with engineers, and for mainstream programming languages. She has chaired the Programme Committee of leading conferences, and is now the Chair of the Formal Methods Europe Board.
Email: ana.cavalcanti@york.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1904 325478
Research Lead for Assurance
Research Lead for Society and Ethics
Research Lead for Communications
David Grace is Professor and Head of the Communication Technologies research group in the School of Physics, Engineering and Technology at York and Director of York's Centre for High Altitude Platform Applications.
David's current research interests include high altitude platform based communications; cognitive green radio; 5G system architectures; dynamic spectrum access and interference management.
Email: david.grace@york.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1904 322396
Director of Research at the York Centre for Quantum Technologies
Professor Marco Lucamarini is Chair of Experimental Quantum Communications in the Department of Physics at York and Director of Research at the York Centre for Quantum Technologies.
Previously, he held a senior position in Toshiba’s Cambridge Research Laboratory, where he conducted research into optical physics and quantum key distribution.
Marco’s research interest is in quantum technology, including quantum communications, quantum networks and long-range communications at the single photon level through satellites and optical fibres.
Professor of Quantum Information Technologies
Tim Spiller, MA PhD CPhys FInstP, is Professor of Quantum Information Technologies at the University of York, founding Director of the York Centre for Quantum Technologies and Director of the Quantum Communications Hub.
Prior to this appointment, he was at the University of Leeds in the roles of Head of the Quantum Information Group and Director of Research for the School of Physics and Astronomy. Prior to 2009, Tim was Director of Quantum Information Processing Research at HP Labs Bristol – an activity that he established in 1995 – and a Hewlett-Packard Distinguished Scientist. He has spent 35 years researching quantum theory, superconducting systems and quantum hardware and technologies. He led HP’s strategy on the commercialisation of QIP research, and is an inventor on 25 patents linked to quantum technologies and applications.
Email: timothy.spiller@york.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1904 32 2254