Welcome to the June edition of the APRIL AI Hub’s Newsletter!
We have a great deal of exciting events happening over the next few months, and our summer interns are working hard ahead of their showcase on 24 July!
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We are delighted to be hosting more interns this summer, two from Sabanci University, and three sponsored by our industry partner Analog Devices!
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Fatih Arda Zengin is a Master’s student in Manufacturing Engineering at Sabancı University, Türkiye. His research focuses on battery health prediction using machine learning, particularly Remaining Useful Life (RUL) and State of Health (SOH) estimation for lithium ion batteries.He completed his undergraduate studies at Sabancı University and has worked on projects involving machine learning, optimization, and battery analytics.
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Saim Egemen Yücel’s research interests include Computational Materials Science, 2D Materials (Borophene, MoS2, MoSe2), Density Functional Theory (DFT), and Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS). He is passionate about leveraging computational physics and numerical calculations to explore the structural and electronic properties of nanomaterials for next-generation sensors, nanoelectronics, and emerging computing architectures.
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Hi! I’m Reanna, a final-year Computer Science student at Queen’s University Belfast. I have recently completed a dissertation using digital twins to assess the safety of autonomous vehicles, using computer vision alongside YOLO models to predict hazards. Last summer I attended Q-Camp Summer School at the University of Gdańsk, where I developed a strong interest in post-quantum cryptography and the future of AI in the quantum era.
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Hi, I'm Jenna! I am a first-year BEng Artificial Intelligence student studying at the University of Bristol. I am thoroughly interested in cloud architecture, machine learning, and computer vision. As an AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, I've gained hands-on experience through internships where I applied computer vision techniques to VR robot vision testing and led an ML-based fraud detection project presented to 400+ attendees. My work also spans simulation projects including a weighted grid model with consensus updates, segregation, and flood fill algorithms.
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Hi, I’m Elsa! I am a final-year MEng Computer Science student at the University of Bristol with an interest in cybersecurity, human-computer interaction, and AI. My current research explores the security and safety of large language models, including adversarial jailbreak mechanisms and how creative forms of prompting can influence AI behaviour. Alongside my research, I have experience in software engineering, game development, and the design of interactive systems using Arduino-based hardware.
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AI is rapidly moving from experimentation into real Design Verification workflows.
Last week, the APRIL Hub was delighted to host DV Club Edinburgh: AI in Design Verification in partnership with Alpinum Consulting at the The University of Edinburgh.
The event brought together semiconductor engineers, researchers, EDA vendors, and verification leaders to discuss practical applications of AI in verification, including agentic AI and formal verification, open-source methodologies, debug automation, and coverage closure.
A huge thank you to our speakers from Cadence, Siemens EDA, Analog Devices, Axelera AI, lowRISC CIC, University of Southampton, APRIL AI Hub, and Alpinum Consulting, as well as everyone who attended and contributed to the discussions.
Missed the event or want to revisit the presentations?
What do you see as the most valuable application of AI in Design Verification today? Stay tuned for our next DV Club Edinburgh in December 2026.
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REWIRE-IKC Webinar Collaboration
EMOS: A Unified AI Platform for Electronic Materials Discovery
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Join us on Tuesday, 14 July 2026 for an exciting webinar collaboration with REWIRE delivered by our very own Dr. Atish Dixit.
Join Atish and the REWIRE team for a thought-provoking and engaging session as we cover:
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how EMOS enables end-to-end workflows for electronic materials discovery, from generation and screening to device-level evaluation
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its applications in semiconductors, power electronics, and hardware accelerators
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how EMOS addresses the challenges of fragmentation in current AI-driven materials research through standardisation, interoperability, and reproducible pipelines
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a demonstration of the prototype
There will be opportunities to quiz our speaker during the Q&A at the end of the session.
Please note the webinar will be recorded but the Q&A function is only available live.
Email the REWIRE mailbox (rewire-ikc@bristol.ac.uk) or Alex Oliver (alex.oliver@bristol.ac.uk) if you have any enquiries.
We look forward to seeing you there!
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Save the Date: 24 July 2026
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On 24 July 2026, we are hosting our summer showcase to celebrate our second cohort of summer interns and watch them present cutting-edge AI, semiconductor & electronics solutions.
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2025 APRIL Summer Showcase
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Over an intensive 8-week internship programme, top-tier students guided by leading academics in the APRIL AI Hub will have worked on real-world industry challenges spanning material discovery, design automation, verification, modelling, and system optimisation. Our showcase will offer a unique opportunity to explore how emerging talent is accelerating R&D and de-risking innovation in electronics and hardware.
What to expect
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Project presentations and live demonstrations from the 2026 cohort
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Poster sessions and informal discussions with interns
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Networking with industry peers, researchers, and programme leads
Why attend
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Discover novel AI-driven approaches to semiconductor R&D challenges
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See early-stage feasibility studies addressing real industry problems
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Engage directly with high-potential talent and academic supervisors
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Explore opportunities for collaboration and future project sponsorship
Who should attend
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R&D leaders and engineering managers
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Semiconductor and electronics professionals
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Innovation, strategy, and technology scouting teams
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Organisations exploring AI applications in hardware and materials
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Innovations in Semiconductor Technologies at The University of Edinburgh
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Our colleagues at the Institute for Integrated Micro and Nano Systems are hosting a celebratory event on 10 September in the Nucleus Building (King’s Buildings Campus, Edinburgh) to showcase the significant contributions of The University of Edinburgh to advancing semiconductor technologies.
They are inviting a diverse audience, including collaborators from academia and industry, funders and policymakers, to learn about the real-world impact of the work carried out at the Scottish Microelectronics Centre (SMC) and meet the researchers who are pushing the boundaries of what's possible in semiconductor applications, from energy-efficient AI and sustainable electronics to advanced sensors. Sir Robin Saxby, founder of ARM, will be a key speaker.
Further details about the day can be found on the Eventbrite site. Please note that this event is free to attend but requires registration.
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Strengthening Ties with Taiwan
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In early June, Prof. Themis Prodromakis, Graham Reed and Dave Smith, National Technology Advisor for the UK's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, travelled to Taiwan as part of a UK delegation visit organised by the British Office in Taipei.
At the UK–Taiwan Silicon Photonics and AI Seminar, Themis presented APRIL AI Hub’s latest work and discussed collaboration opportunities with senior executives at TSMC, United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), MediaTek, Etron Technology Inc. and other semiconductor-related companies.
By sharing insights on how UK academic research in AI and semiconductor technologies are translated into industry impact, the delegates showcased the UK's commitment to advancing global technology and set the stage for future collaborative projects.
These initiatives put the APRIL AI Hub’s work on a global stage and demonstrate the powerful synergy between UK academic research and Taiwan's technological prowess to drive innovation that transcends borders
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European Materials Research Society
(E-MRS) 2026 Spring Meeting
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Our very own Dr. Shashank Mishra delivered a talk at the European Materials Research Society (E-MRS) 2026 Spring Meeting on “Machine Learning–Based Surrogate Modeling of Triboelectric Nanogenerators”.
His talk featured in Symposium I: Nanogenerators and smart sensing systems on 27 May 2026 where he presented his recently published PhyTENG work.
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UKAIRS 2026 - Call for Submissions
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We are excited to announce that this year’s UK AI Research Symposium (UKAIRS) Call for Submissions is now live! Submit your abstract here.
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This symposium is the premier national gathering for the UK artificial intelligence research community, and is organised in collaboration with UKRI, RAI UK, the national AI Hubs, and CDT centres.
📅 24 and 25 November 2026
📍 John McIntyre Conference Centre, The University of Edinburgh
🌐 You can learn more about the Symposium here.
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