Ten international fellows, including School of Public Policy's Associate Professor Kathleen Vogel, have joined The Alan Turing Institute as part of the government’s Rutherford Fellowship scheme that brings highly skilled researchers to the UK.
The Rutherford Visiting Fellowships are supported by the Rutherford Fund which aims to help maintain the UK’s position as a world leader in science and research by attracting highly skilled researchers to the UK. Launched in July 2017, the Fund includes more than £100 million over the next four years to support the provision of fellowships for international research talent.
These fellowships have been awarded to early-career and senior researchers who have now all begun their research, which runs for a duration of six to 12 months. The fellowships bring talented new researchers to the UK from the following leading research nations: Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, Pakistan, Turkey and the USA.
The fund is named after Ernest Rutherford, one of the UK’s most distinguished scientists, the father of nuclear physics, a Nobel Laureate, holder of chairs at the Universities of Manchester and Cambridge, and, crucially, an immigrant – who came to the UK at the age of 24 from New Zealand.
The Turing is one of several world class institutions in the UK that has been identified as a destination for these significant fellowships. Science Minister Sam Gyimah said:
‘The Alan Turing Institute is changing the world by pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence and data. Supporting ambitious fellows through the Rutherford Fund will not only lead to ground-breaking discoveries, but will ensure the UK remains a leading destination for the brightest and best talent globally.
‘Boosting research and innovation is at the heart of our modern Industrial Strategy and through our AI Sector Deal and Grand Challenge we will strengthen our competitiveness in key industries and help build a Britain fit for the future.’
The incoming cohort’s research interests cover a broad range of areas core to the Turing’s strategic research areas. They include health, security, data centric engineering, humanities and social science, machine learning, and more.
Burcin Becerik, an incoming Rutherford Visiting Fellow from the University of Southern California, said:
‘I am extremely excited to have been given the opportunity to collaborate with such an exceptional group of fellows and students. I look forward to advancing the knowledge around the challenges and opportunities we face in the design and engineering of the built environment using data-centric approaches.’
Sir Alan Wilson, The Alan Turing Institute’s CEO, added:
‘We look forward to working with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy in developing these fellowships in the UK. And we are delighted to support and encourage the integration of the fellows into the Turing community, where they will become a part of an active group of researchers and practitioners working together in a cross-disciplinary and collaborative way.’