We aim to set the global standard for a truly interdisciplinary approach to contemporary data-driven research challenges. Established in 2015, the Data Science Institute (DSI) has over 300 members and has raised £50 million in research grants.
In 2025, the Data Science Institute (DSI) at Lancaster University proudly marks its 10th anniversary. Since its founding in 2015, the DSI has established itself as a leading hub for cutting-edge research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and real-world impact in data science and artificial intelligence. Over the past decade, our researchers and partners have tackled some of the most pressing challenges in society, science, and industry—advancing the foundations of data science, fostering ethical and trustworthy AI, driving innovation across sectors and training 100s of data science practitioners.
As we celebrate this milestone, we reflect on the achievements of our vibrant research community and the transformative projects that have shaped the field. Looking ahead, the DSI remains committed to pushing the boundaries of data science and AI research, strengthening global collaborations, and supporting the next generation of data scientists.
We invite applications from UG and PG degree holders for up to 16 fully funded 3.5-year PhDs in the use of exascale computing to drive new insights into Earth, Environmental, and Sustainability science. Fees and stipends are covered at the standard UKRI rates.
Application Deadline: 9th January 2025 with interviews taking place in March 2025.
The full list of available PhD projects is available here.
We would like your suggestions for speakers for Autumn 2025 - please get in touch if you would like to present or have a nomination to make!
Data Dialogues is an informal, discussion-driven event where members of the DSI and the broader university community share insights into their work, spark interdisciplinary conversations and explore potential collaborations. The focus is on interactive engagement rather than formal presentations—so no slides (or just a few, if needed)! Instead, the idea is to introduce your work in an accessible way, followed by an open discussion and Q&A with attendees.
Get fresh perspectives and think about new ways of approaching your own research, meet new people and explore potential research collaborations. Come be part of the DSI community!
Thank you to Dr John Alasdair Warwicker - Assistant Professor (Lecturer) in Computer Science, Lancaster University Leipzig gave a talk on 5 November 2025. Watch John's talk.
Join us on Wednesday 10th December 2025 in Sky Lounge for an end of year-round up from DSI. Professor Chris Nemeth, DSI Co-Director, will present an overview of this year’s DSI activities and award this year’s DSI prizes.
Mince pies and mulled wine, plus a game of Claire Hardaker’s, ‘Bot or Not’ will be on offer.
In 2024, a Hong Kong employee of a London-based multinational joined a video call with the Global Chief Financial Officer and several others from the London HQ. Under direct instructions from this leadership team, the employee made a series of bank transfers totalling nearly £20m. If you want to know the perhaps unsurprising fate of that money, you’ll have to come to the talk. In it, you’ll be introduced to the fields of forensic linguistics (analysis of the linguistic content) and forensic speech science (analysis of the speech signal). And because it’s Christmas there will of course be a trivia quiz. Would you know if you were being called by your doting aunt or a digital agent? Are those real five-star reviews? Is that Billie Eilish on the radio… or Billie AI-lish? In short, can you identify the AI-generated texts, voices, and even music from the real deal? Finally, I’ll talk about the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and most especially, the future of AI-powered crime.
Claire Hardaker is a Professor of Forensic Linguistics, specialising in deceptive and manipulative language. She is based in the Linguistics and English Language department at Lancaster University, and directs FACTOR (Forensic Linguistics, Cybersecurity, and Technology Research).
Please let us know if you would like to join us dsi@lancaster.ac.uk.
We warmly invite you to a meeting of the DSI Health theme on Monday 15th December 2025.
This invite is to all academics, postgraduates and researchers interested in health data.
DSI Health theme Tickets, Mon, Dec 15, 2025 at 1:00 PM | Eventbrite
The meeting will start with lunch and an opportunity to network with colleagues.
The agenda for the meeting is below.
1:00 – 1:30: Lunch and networking.
1:30 – 1:35: Welcome and meeting outline (Neil Reeves).
1:35 – 2:15: EPSRC Infrastructure Grant – Outline of initial ideas for an institute-wide bid relevant to DSI Health and invitation for colleagues to input ideas and contribute to the bid Further information here (Hannah Jarvis).
2:15 – 3:00: DSI Health theme and future activities – presentation of ideas and open discussion for colleagues to steer the direction and nature of future DSI Health theme activities (Neil Reeves, Hannah Jarvis, All colleagues).
3:00 – Meeting end.
Kind regards,
Neil Reeves (DSI Health Theme lead)
Hannah Jarvis (DSI Deputy Health Theme lead)
Data Science at Lancaster was founded in 2015 on Lancaster’s historic research strengths in Computer Science, Statistics and Operational Research. The environment is further enriched by a broad community of data-driven researchers in a variety of other disciplines including the environmental sciences, health and medicine, sociology and the creative arts.
Foundations research sits at the interface of methods and application: with an aim to develop novel methodology inspired by the real-world challenge. These could be studies about the transportation of people, goods & services, energy consumption and the impact of changes to global weather patterns.
The Health theme has a wide scope. Current areas of strength include spatial and spatiotemporal methods in global public health, design and analysis of clinical trials, epidemic forecasting and demographic modelling, health informatics and genetics.
Data Science has brought new approaches to understanding long-standing social problems concerning energy use, climate change, crime, migration, the knowledge economy, ecologies of media, design and communication in everyday life, or the distribution of wealth in financialised economies.
The focus of the environment theme has been to seek methodological innovations that can transform our understanding and management of the natural environment. Data Science will help us understand how the environment has evolved to its current state and how it might change in the future.
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The Data Engineering theme aims to explore how we can utilise digital technologies to accelerate and enhance our research processes across the University.
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