Fernando Loizides
Dr Fernando Loizides holds a PhD in Human Computer Interaction and is a Reader at Cardiff University, UK. Fernando is also an option holder and investor in several start-ups. He collaborates with Google, researching and developing emerging cutting-edge technologies for accessibility and decision-making. He has led national and international teams in creating emerging interactive technologies, used for commercial and academic purposes. His discoveries in areas of accessibility have enabled people with mild and severe disabilities to regain independence in living and are currently being used worldwide; one commercial application of which won him and the team he was leading the award for most impactful innovation. He has commercialised products in Virtual Reality and Internet of Things Technologies as well as mobile applications for information interaction and discovery. His research and development won several international awards for ground-breaking advancements in technology and received awards for innovation and sustained development of the international scientific community. He has collaborated/worked with many SMEs, creating and testing their prototypes and supporting them from pre-revenue to self-sustaining profitable states. His work in user experience and human-computer interaction and data science has been published in world-leading journals and presented in world-leading scientific conferences. He has also given invited talks internationally, trained 1000s of students from GCSE level to PhD and published cutting-edge work on novel teaching methodologies. He has collaborated/worked with companies such as Microsoft, Fujitsu, Dyson, Admiral, and Nokia.
Chra Abdoulqadir
Chra Abdoulqadir is a Teaching Associate and Postgraduate Research student at the School of Computer Science and Informatics, Cardiff University. She is involved in many modules due to her high competence in the majority of the modules provided. These include HCI and UX, databases and machine learning, DevOps, Emerging Technologies, etc. She has more than 5 years of industry experience as a software engineer and more than 2 years of experience as a GCSE and A-Levels instructor. Her current research is on enhancing accessibility in mobile games.
Santiago Hoyos
Santiago Hoyos is an accomplished audio engineer and researcher with an MSc in Audio & Music Technology from the University of York and a BE in Sound Engineering from Universidad San Buenaventura. His research projects include MIDI development and acoustic scattering for virtual applications with Sony Interactive Entertainment. With nearly a decade of experience in audio, he has worked on diverse projects, including music, podcasts, and radio. His academic and practical expertise underscores his commitment to advancing audio technology.
Michael Loizou
Michael is an Associate Professor in Digital Health and Deputy Director for the Centre for Health Technology at the University of Plymouth. He is a highly qualified professional with over 25 years of experience in both academia and industry, working with the health sector, including the NHS. He has led and co-led both national and international projects in the areas of human machine interaction, digital healthcare, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), serious games / gamification, and using mobile technologies for healthcare and wellbeing. He has also managed and owned companies in different industries, for which he led the introduction of novel technologies. Michael is currently leading projects and forging collaborations as an expert in Digital Health with charities (National Autistic Society, Autistica), local councils (Warwick, Plymouth), schools (both primary and secondary), and other organisations on promoting and supporting neurodivergence (Autism, ADHD) and people with learning disabilities. He is leading an NIHR funded project for Research for Social Care (RfPB) – Autism Highlight Notice. BRIDGING – Breakthrough Interview extenDed Reality Training towards Reducing the Employment Gap for Autistic people https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR204260. BRIDGING is a three-year project using extended reality training with autistic employees and employers to support entry and retainment within the workplace and reduce the autism employment gap. The aim, in the long term, is to increase employment among autistic people in the UK.