Speakers

Emma Smith is Chief Digital and Information Officer at the University of Bristol, a world-leading research-intensive university and member of the Russell Group, where she leads the digital, data and technology strategy that underpins research, education and institutional transformation. She is a member of the University Executive Board and is responsible for enabling the digital foundations that support cutting-edge research, innovation and student success. A passionate advocate for developing the talent of tomorrow, Emma is committed to strengthening the pipeline between academia, research and industry. Her work focuses on creating environments where students, researchers and technology professionals can innovate together, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies while building the skills needed for the next generation of engineering and digital leadership. Emma has a particular interest in the future of AI infrastructure and advanced computing architectures. Working at the intersection of research, digital strategy and high-performance computing, she is working with frontier AI models that are accessible and sustainable, reduce GPU dependency and cost, improve memory efficiency through technologies such as RVCache, and unlock new approaches to AI inference and training. Her focus is on enabling research organisations to achieve greater performance, scalability and scientific impact while managing the economic and environmental challenges associated with large-scale AI. With extensive experience leading complex digital transformation programmes, Emma brings a practical perspective on how universities, researchers and industry partners can collaborate to accelerate innovation, develop critical skills and create the computing platforms that will power the next wave of breakthroughs in AI, embedded systems and advanced engineering.