Institute of Digital Futures

About us

Our research is aligned with two of the Grand Challenges of the UK’s Industrial Strategy and our industrial partners’ innovation strategies.

Meet our experts

Meet the people behind our digital expertise.

IDF Advisory Board

Aligning our strategic direction with industrial priorities and relevant emerging challenges

Collaborative partnerships

We work closely with our partners to bridge the gap between research and industry. Our partners include Innovate UK, EPSRC, H2020, QNRF and Caterpillar.

Our research is aligned with the industrial and innovative strategies of our partners

Browse our projects

Research Centres aligned with the Digital Priority Challenges

AI Social and Digital Innovation

Social, economic and strategic effects of AI and associated technologies. Impact of AI and related technologies on societies, organisations and individuals.

Digital Manufacturing

Being at the forefront of solutions for building smart machines, we create an operational framework for the digital transformation to Industry 4.0.

Intelligent Digital Economy and Society

Research into intelligent digital economy and society using AI, data analytics, 6G, media, human-machine interaction, digital games, augmented and virtual reality, digital twins, IoTs, cyber security, data & information fusion.

Smart Technology Advancements in Health and Rehabilitation

Data science/wearable technology and Rehabilitation; Haptic feedback, multi-sensory interfacing and Robotics in Health; Immersion and Engagement in Virtual Rehabilitation; TeleHealth/TeleRehab; Data: using AI and Machine learning to improve health.

Read our news and join upcoming events

News

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image for Call for Institute of Digital Futures Pump Priming Fund

10 Nov 2022 Call for Institute of Digital Futures Pump Priming Fund

12 May 2022 REF results show increase in 'world-leading' research at Brunel

image of Return of the Brunel Research Festival: celebrating our world-leading research

12 Apr 2022 Return of the Brunel Research Festival: celebrating our world-leading research

image of Institute of Digital Futures officially launched

30 Oct 2020 Institute of Digital Futures officially launched

Industry spotlight

Applying artificial intelligence to big data

Read how we we designed a bespoke artificial intelligence software to effectively manage data in a highly dynamic environment

High performance simulation applied to development of new products and services

Read how we developed high performance simulations using multiple computers and introduced it to various organisations

What do voters want from an online voting experience?

Results from our user testing of a prototype i-voting app

Browse our research projects

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IT professional using an EEG headset to communicate.

Algorithm Reliability Framework: Policies for misinformation and fake news

A close up of two businessmen using a calculator.

Reporting disclosure continuum

Regulation of social media

Decolonisation of heritage sites through mixed reality performances

Green data centres

Governing immersive biomedical tech, health and human rights in the Metaverse

Improving Sustainability: Metal Powder Production for Additive Manufacturing

Post-Covid lifestyle and mental wellbeing

Rapid evidence scoping review: Creativity and Pathways to Subjective Wellbeing

5G heterogeneous base station deployment using AI

Ultrasonic guided waves for the inspection of pipelines

Smart money

Innovative Quality Engineering and Smart Technology

Predicting online radicalisation

Development of a new flexible manipulator for minimally invasive surgery

Retinal image analysis

people sitting and looking out to margate promenade

Investigating digital poverty in Margate

Regression models for the analysis of well-being and income distribution

Distributed computing for data intensive research

Computing grid for the exploitation of Large Hadron Collider data in the UK

Developing a new platform for African Indigenous Knowledge

African baby with healthcare wearables devices

System for monitoring infants in low-resource environments

Integrated technology support system for tackling violence against women

Meeting net zero in digital research infrastructure

Economics of music streaming

Copyright in the music industry

Covid immunity passport service design

Modelling migrant flows for better service provision

SMEs digital footprints and their ethical implications

arwoman wearing ar glasses in a heritage home

Smart glass AR and affective storytelling in historic places

AP integrated computational-experimental

Redesigning protein dynamics

Detecting change in medical data to identify bias

Synthetic data generation for primary care data

A data-oriented predictive ecology approach to modelling fish communities

doctor showing a patient something on a tablet

Personalised disease modelling

A deep learning model for global camera trap labelling

Trust in home: rethinking interface design in the Internet of Things

Networked labs for training in sciences and ICT

Emergency guide system for the elderly

Making deep learning and AI skills mainstream in India

3D software mapping for osteoarthritis pain self-management

older man and young woman looking at tablet

Educating older adults about extrinsic falls risk factors at home

Digital game-based student centred learning

Mobile technologies for improved home-based healthcare assessments

Augmented Reality platform for mobility of Parkinson's patients

Predictive maintenance of rail infrastructure

3D digital glasses for enhancing mobility

Contraband detection in prisons

Doctoral education and research capacities in Kyrgyzstan

Modernization of Doctoral Education in Science

Ambidextrous robot hand

Hygienic, usable, engaging public mid-air interactions

Proximity-based interactive media experiences

Serious games to improve engagement with web accessibility guidelines

Pandemic crisis prediction and management

Connecting Africa: New Networks for Open Science

Adoption of cloud computing by SMEs and public sector

High performance simulation for industry and society

e-Infrastructures for Africa

Software suite for brewery management system

Innovative solar heating for industrial processes

Developments and Directions in Intellectual Property Law

Designing the future of UK-China collaboration in museums and galleries sector

A serious game to train fire fighters for decision making

On-line tool to intelligently interpret design information contained in patents

HPC and Big Data Technologies for Global Systems

Verified Exascale Computing for Multiscale Simulations

Ultrasonic assisted laser welding for automotive battery packs

woman shocked at the content on the laptop

Understanding cyberbullying behaviours through computational models

Maintenance models for zero-unexpected-breakdowns

Preservation and restoration of cultural heritage through 3D Imaging

Facilitating social media research in social sciences

New Force/Torque sensor based on optical technology for robot applications

Medical training robots for airway management

Soft continuum manipulator for minimally invasive surgery

Establishing a 'Futures Market' for digital personhood data

Zero-defect manufacturing strategies towards on-line production management

End-to-end digital manufacturing solution

Intelligent data-driven pipeline for the manufacturing of certified metal parts

Microelectronics supply chain provenance

Continuous whole-body motion in robots for humanitarian demining

Digital technologies in furniture manufacturing design

Supply chain network optimization

Neuromorphic computing - simulating the human brain memory mechanism

Consciousness transfer and communication technologies

Creativity and the creative process in digital games and poetry

Multimodal digital media in journalistic newsrooms

Micro company productivity enhancement with Cloud Computing

Credit scoring model based on classifiers consensus system approach

Beamforming using Artificial Intelligence for 6G Networks

Ascending to the edge of space

Emotion AI for trading on financial markets

Digital games histories

Artificial intelligence training of autonomous vehicles

Deep fakes: the evolution and use of the technology

AI-assisted tax assessment

Audience reactions to #ShakespeareLives diplomacy campaign

Automated terahertz imaging of composites

Internet of Things soil monitoring system

Internet of Radio-Light

Physics analysis and operations of the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment

R&D in preparation for an upgrade of CMS for the Super- Large Hadron Collider

Pause

Fully-funded studentships

Developing AI-based equitable risk prediction models for long-term conditions using longitudinal health data

Investigating an AI-based framework for digital twins in manufacturing

Our funded studentships become available at different times of the year. Please keep checking our page regularly to see the latest funded opportunities. We also advertise all our funded studentships as soon as they become available on the @BrunelResearch twitter account.

View all studentships