Jim Smith

Jim Smith first came to UWE Bristol in 1993 as a student – first on an MSc, then a PhD in Artificial Intelligence (AI). In 1996 he joined the staff, first as a Research Fellow, then Senior Lecturer before progressing to his current post of Professor of Interactive Artificial Intelligence. His research focuses on various aspects of the interplay between people, AI, and privacy, from blue-skies theory through to applied collaborations with industry and government agencies. Alongside this, he has extensive experience of teaching AI to different student groups, of module and programme development, and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He is passionate about applying advances in technology and AI to improve the student experience, whether through developing innovative forms of assessment or through using practical examples from his collaborations to help students understand and prepare for a world where AI/technology places an increasing role.

His ongoing involvement in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and a range of management and committee roles during his journey through UWE have given him a wide perspective on both student and staff experience. Outside UWE Bristol, he was a nursery and primary school governor for 12 years and now sits on the board of Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership. Taken together, this has given him an almost cradle-to-grave view of how people progress through education.