We’re delighted to announce and congratulate Professor Daniel Neyland on his appointment as the new Co-Director for BDFI (Bristol Digital Futures Institute). Daniel joined the University of Bristol as a social scientist in September 2022, and for over 25 years has worked on sociotechnical research, with particular interests in issues of accountability, responsibility and values in science, technology and forms of organisation.
BDFI look forward to working with him as they enter a new phase of development with more staff, projects, an operational research hub and tested facilities.
BDFI are planning to host an informal lunch with their team in the New Year to celebrate and welcome Daniel and mark Professor Susan Halford’s time as Co-Director over a remarkable period.
Susan will continue to work closely with BDFI, supporting its activities and mission at the new BDFI-linked ESRC Centre for Sociodigital Futures.
At BDFI they strongly lay the foundations for a step-change in how we think about and do digital innovation. With ten outstanding new academic appointments already in place, and ten more to come, there is no doubt that BDFI will go from strength to strength in 2023.
We spoke with Daniel about his new role and what he hopes to achieve
When did you start the role? 1st January 2023.
Is it a fixed term or open ended position? 3 years with option to 5 years.
What does the role involve? What are you hoping to achieve?
The Bristol Digital Futures Institute (BDFI) is a ground breaking research venture bringing together academics from multiple disciplines with partners from all sectors who have an interest in how digital technologies are changing our lives.
My role as Co-Director (along with Professor Dimitra Simeonidu from the Smart Internet Lab) will be to bring these parties together and help develop a series of projects that investigate global connectivity, smart technology and automated systems. To succeed we will need to develop new, interdisciplinary ways of working and use these methods to take on significant challenges around, for example, privacy, security, the future of the workplace, and what it means to be sustainable in a digitally-saturated world. We have received £100m in funding and support from Research England and our civic, business and charity partners to research, design, create and implement new technology that can address these challenges.
What is the BDFI (Bristol Digital Futures Institute)?
Founded in 2019, Bristol Digital Futures Institute (BDFI) is the newest of the University of Bristol’s five research institutes.
Digital technologies have changed our world. Global connectivity, smart technology and automated systems are already part of our daily lives. This brings opportunities and challenges.
We need to better understand how technologies and people are shaping the future together – or “sociotechnical futures”. Rather than waiting for the future to happen, we need to get ahead of it.
Congratulations once again to Professor Daniel Neyland!
Learn more about the Bristol Digital Futures Institute (BDFI)