Departmental news
Professor Thiemo Fetzer contributes to Parliamentary scrutiny of Government's AI policy
Evidence submitted by Professor Thiemo Fetzer to the Public Accounts Committee’s inquiry into the Use of AI in Government has been cited in the Committee’s final report.
Presenting the report, committee chair Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP said:
“This Committee’s role is to help ensure efficient Government policy delivery through our recommendations. The potential for AI to secure widespread efficiencies is obvious, and the need for digital improvements is a theme that will run through all our inquiries as through a stick of rock.
“Transparency is key here, as public trust that AI will work for them is central to any successful use of it. We still have a long way to go in this area.
“The Government has said it wants to mainline AI into the veins of the nation, but our report raises questions over whether the public sector is ready for such a procedure.
“A transformation of thinking in Government at senior levels is required. We hope the recommendations in our report aid the Government in succeeding in bringing public sector systems into the 21st century for their users, where other efforts have failed.”
In his evidence Thiemo highlighted that successful deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the public sector offers an unparalleled opportunity to redefine the role of the state and revolutionize governmental operations.
He noted that by easing skills constraints, enhancing data integration and management, increasing the accessibility of public services, and improving data collection and dissemination, AI can deliver significant improvements in efficiency, service delivery, and citizen engagement.
His full submission also emphasized that embracing AI thoughtfully and proactively will enable the public sector to meet future challenges effectively, delivering better outcomes for citizens while upholding transparency, accountability, and ethical standards.
Thiemo said:
“I am glad to see that my evidence submission to the Select Committee’s inquiry into Use of AI in Government was referenced in the full report.
“I set out a number of policy implications and also shared some case studies from my experience of trying to work with local councils to collect and analysis some of their data.
“Some simple steps to address the skills gap and give greater flexibility to council staff could break the AI logjam. While big flagship projects may grab the headlines, it’s often the little things that add up to a big difference.
“This is an area where I believe the HE sector can make a unique contribution”
The Government now has two months to respond to the recommendations and points of concern raised in the report.
- Use of AI in Government - Eighteenth Report of Session 2024–25
- Professor Fetzer’s evidence: committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/132636/html/
Warwick plant scientist honoured with Royal Horticultural Society Veitch Memorial Medal
Dr. Charlotte Allender, Head of the UK Vegetable Genebank at the School of Life Sciences, The University of Warwick has been awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for her work conserving vegetable crop genetic diversity.
On her nomination, Charlotte said: "I am very grateful to the RHS for this award; to have such a prestigious organisation recognise the value of your work is wonderful.”
This award recognises Dr. Allender’s research into conserving genetic variation of crop species and for her almost two decades-long service to the UK Vegetable Genebank. This work has been vital for food security by preserving these sources of genetic variation that are needed to develop new and robust crop varieties.
Charlotte added: “The conservation of plant genetic resources is vital and underpins the research and breeding activity necessary to develop the new crop varieties needed for a food secure future. I would like to acknowledge that the work of the UK Vegetable Genebank is only possible with a team of skilled and dedicated staff and the support of the University of Warwick and Defra.”
The UK Vegetable Genebank celebrates its 45th anniversary later this year. It currently stores around 14,000 vegetable seed samples, sourced from 128 different countries, making it a globally significant resource.
WMG Professor recognised in India-UK Achievers Award Class of 2025
WMG at The University of Warwick’s Head of Safe AutonomyLink opens in a new window, Professor Siddartha KhastgirLink opens in a new window, has been named in the Class of 2025 at the India-UK Achievers Honours.
Professor Khastgir was recognised in the ‘Education, Science and Innovation’ category, for his outstanding research impacts and contributions to India-UK relations.
Organised by the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAULink opens in a new window) UK in collaboration with the British Council in India and the UK Government’s Department for International Trade, the awards recognise Indian students and alumni in the UK who make significant contributions to education, art, culture, and other social sectors.
WMG launches new Supply Chain Innovation Hub in collaboration with JLR
WMG at The University of Warwick is proud to announce the launch of the JLR-WMG Supply Chain Innovation Hub. Working in partnership with luxury automotive manufacturer JLR, the hub is aground-breaking research and industry collaboration aimed at developing innovative and best-in-class supply chain solutions.
The hub aims to foster a dynamic and collaborative environment, engaging with JLRLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window to develop cutting-edge supply chain solutions. The partnership will pave the way for data-driven intelligent supply chain solutions while promoting sustainability and resilience in the supply chain impacted by a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex & Ambiguous) world.
Led by Professor Alok ChoudharyLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, Head of Supply Chain ResearchLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window at WMG, and Dr Heiko Gierhardt, Director of Material Fulfilment for Industrial Operations at JLR, this collaboration will establish a ‘Living Lab’ environment.
Warwick Law School welcomes new Visiting Fellow
Warwick Law School welcomes IAS Visiting Fellow Prof. Sabina Frederic from the Department of Social Sciences, University of Quilmes, UNQ-National Council of Scientific and Technic Research, CONICET in Argentina to our community.
TIA Triumphs at PUMA Grand Challenge
We are excited to share that our team “TIAKong” secured leading positions in the recent PUMALink opens in a new window (Panoptic segmentation of nuclei and tissue in advanced Melanoma) Challenge, organized by the Department of Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Utrecht, in the Netherlands. With over 300 participants from around the globe, this challenge aimed to advance automated panoptic segmentation techniques for H&E-stained melanoma tissue images.
Led by our PhD students Jiaqi Lv and YiJie Zhu, and supported by Brinder Singh Chohan, Shan E Ahmed Raza, with an external collaborator Carmen Guadalupe Colin Tenorio from the Medical University of Vienna. TIAKong achieved first place in Track 1 and second place in Track 2. This outstanding performance underscores the team’s dedication to pushing the boundaries of medical imaging and improving our understanding of advanced melanoma.
We look forward to building on these results and sharing further developments of our panoptic segmentation model in the near future.
AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) studentship - Lithographs of the First World War: printmaking, propaganda and mobilisation
Imperial War Museums (IWM), and the University of Warwick are pleased to announce the availability of a fully funded Collaborative doctoral studentship from October 2025 under the AHRC’s Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships (CDP) scheme.
Start date: 1 October 2025
Application Deadline: 3 June 2025
Interviews: 30 June 2025 (online)
Find full details of the studentship and how to apply at https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/news/phd_studentship/
Warwick Medical School part of new NIHR INSIGHT programme – Inspiring Students into Research
Warwick Medical School is proud to be part of the new NIHR INSIGHT programme: ‘Inspiring Students into Research’, working with other higher education institutions, the NHS, and local authority partners in the West Midlands. This £4.6M investment from NIHR provides an opportunity for newly qualified and early career health and care professionals (excluding medical and dentist professionals) to undertake research training leading to a Master's qualification.
TIA Triumphs at Monkey Grand Challenge
We are excited to announce that our team “TIAKong” secured leading positions in the recent Monkey Grand ChallengeLink opens in a new window, organized by the Department of Pathology, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Drawing more than 400 participants from around the globe, the challenge focused on automated detection and classification of mononuclear leukocytes in PAS-stained transplant kidney biopsy images.
Led by our PhD student Jiaqi Lv, and supported by Esha Nasir, Kesi Xu, Mostafa Jahanifar, Brinder Singh Chohan, Behnaz Elhaminia, and Shan E Ahmed Raza, TIAKong’s cell detection and classification model finished first place in the overall detection track and second place in the detection classification track.
The team is currently evaluating the model for publishing and sharing the code through open-source platforms. We look forward to sharing more updates in the near future.