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Convocation: Panel Discussion and Annual Review of 2025
23 February 2026 - 23 February 2026
6:00PM - 9:00PM
Durham University Business School, The Waterside Building, Riverside Place, Durham DH1 1SL
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Free
Our Vice-Chancellor and Warden, Professor Karen O’Brien, invites you to join her for this year’s annual meeting of Convocation. The event will take place on campus on Monday 23 February 2026.
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The Vice-Chancellor will share highlights from 2025 and a look forward to 2026. Our Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, Professor Mike Shipman will chair a thought-provoking panel discussion about how our research expertise will play a key part in unlocking the potential of AI.
On conclusion of the evening’s formalities, there will be light refreshments served and the opportunity for socialising and networking with alumni.
Doors open at 5.30pm for a 6pm prompt start.
- For further details on Convocation, including who is eligible to attend, please visit our governance pages.
- Scroll down to read more about the panel discussion and our expert speakers.
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Read more about our panel discussion
How Durham research is preparing us for the future: Artificial Intelligence
The University’s significant academic expertise will play a key part in unlocking the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI), contributing to the regional and national economy and skills. We conduct significant and interdisciplinary AI research through our Computer Science Department, the Institute for Data Science, and various cross-department collaborations.
Leading academics, Professor Hubert Shum, Dr Sarah Heaps, and Dr Travis LaCroix, will bring their diverse expertise in this field to the table, drawing on their different disciplines, to explore how Durham research into AI can play a transformative role in preparing us for the future.
Chair of panel: Professor Mike Shipman
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The Deputy Vice-Chancellor is responsible for supporting the Vice-Chancellor in delivering the University’s Academic Strategy, working to recruit, sustain and develop an academic staff body and environment that is exemplary in all aspects and integrating equality, diversity and inclusion into strategic planning. He has responsibility for operational sustainability, including the University's Strategic Performance Indicator on Total Gross Emissions.
Professor Shipman joined Durham in 2023 from the University of Warwick. He is a chemical scientist, he has taught at Colorado State, Exeter and Loughborough Universities. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Chartered Chemist.
Speakers
Dr Sarah Heaps
Associate Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences
Dr Heaps is a Bayesian statistician whose research focuses on time-series analysis and latent variable modelling. She was Assistant Co-Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Cloud Computing for Big Data, and has led and contributed to major research grants, particularly involving multivariate time-series analysis. She has given invited seminars across the world, including at Duke and Columbia Universities, and the Flatiron Institute in New York.
Dr Travis LaCroix
Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy
As well as his position within our Department of Philosophy, Dr LaCroix is a Fellow of our Institute for Medical Humanities, faculty affiliate of the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society (University of Toronto), and Co-Director of the Academic Placement and Data Analysis project. His research explores philosophical questions within complex social systems, including ethically-aligned artificial intelligence; social dynamics, norms, and conventions; and the philosophy of autism.
Professor Hubert Shum
Professor of Visual Computing, Department of Computer Science
Professor Shum specialises in modelling spatio-temporal visual information with responsible AI. He has published over 200 papers and led research funded by EPSRC, the Ministry of Defence, Royal Society, and Innovate UK. His multidisciplinary work spans space technology, healthcare, and the arts. He is Co-Director of Durham Space Research Centre, a Fellow of the Wolfson Research Institute, and a steering group member of the Centre for Visual Arts and Culture.
Inside the minds shaping AI discourse
Dr Travis LaCroix is a philosopher of science who brings interdisciplinary expertise to contemporary AI debates. He will explore how AI reshapes our institutions, from the language that fuels AI hype to the structural forces behind integrity, measurement, and alignment. Drawing on his recent research, he may discuss how ambiguous technical terms, institutional incoherence, and socio-technical power dynamics shape public trust, policy, and our shared technological future.
Dr Sarah Heaps will highlight the central role played by statistics in data science and AI, where identifying, quantifying, and controlling for different sources of uncertainty is fundamental to formulating and answering questions and understanding the limitations of any inferences drawn. She will discuss the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in tackling challenging questions with complex data, drawing on her own experiences of working with academics in other fields and industrial partners.
Professor Hubert Shum will explore Responsible Artificial Intelligence – creating AI systems that align technology with what people value, expect and need. Beyond performance, AI must be explainable, inclusive, and accountable so it can collaborate effectively with humans. Drawing on experience in healthcare, space research, security, and defence, he will show how value-aware innovation unlocks benefits while managing risks, enabling safer and more confident decision-making in critical environments.