How can a lab discovery become a 'real' product that solves unmet needs in everyday life? This challenge has been the driving force throughout my career. My journey has been an "Ariadne’s thread" weaving through Material Science, Photonics, Medical Devices, and now Artificial Intelligence in Electronics. This journey took me from pure research to entrepreneurship, and everywhere in between.
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Today, my mission at the APRIL AI Hub is to translate research into tangible opportunities, helping academic and industry communities push technology boundaries and reach the next milestone. I feel incredibly privileged to serve such an inspiring group of academics and industry partners.
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Edinburgh Science Festival 2026
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Future Voices: The AI Ethics Podcast
Join us to debate AI ethics and record your very own podcast using professional recording equipment! Take part in the discussion, challenge ideas, and record a podcast capturing your views, insights, and bold predictions about our AI-driven future. Book here!
(AI) Life Begins at 50
Led by friendly AI academic researchers, this session introduces the latest technology in a clear, hands-on way. Enjoy fun games, interactive activities, and real conversations about how AI can support everyday life. Participants will also have access to mentorship, helping you become confident, informed, and empowered in the AI and digital world. Book here!
One Day. One Play. One Prompt.
Join our AI-powered day-long workshop and help create a brand-new show from concept to curtain call in just one day! Collaborate with fellow creatives and AI tools to build an original performance, and by 3.30pm, you’ll be taking the stage in the Auditorium of the National Museum for a live public show! Experience how human creativity and AI innovation can come together to craft something truly one of a kind, all in just six hours.
Not a performer? We’re also welcoming people interested in hosting, stage management, production and backstage roles to be a part of bringing the show to life behind the scenes. Book here!
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Seed Funding Webinar Series
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This year, the APRIL AI Hub is excited to showcase the work of our Seed Funding Grant Holders. APRIL has funded 20 projects over two Seed Funding Calls, and we thrilled to see many of the projects underway. With our Seed Funding Webinar Series, the projects we have funded will give an overview of their goals, desired impact, and any finding they have so far.
In February we heard from Dr Ankit Dixit and Prof Bo Liu of the University of Glasgow about their project: AI-Enhanced Reliability Optimization in SRAM Cells under Process-Induced Variability. We also heard from Dr. José Cano and Dr. Jude Haris, also from the University of Glasgow, about SECDA-DSE: Automated Design Space Exploration of FPGA-based Accelerators using LLMs. The sessions are being recorded and shared on YouTube, so if you miss a session, don’t worry, you can catch up there.
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Season 2 of APRIL Conversations
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APRIL Conversations is back with season 2! This special Annual Summit edition episode features APRIL AI Hub Manager Dr Anastasia Eleftheriou in conversation with our wonderful researchers Dr Chandrabhan Kushwah and Dr Ben Rowlinson. Together, they answer audience questions from the Second Annual Summit and reflect on some of the exciting projects they have and are currently working on. Listen here!
In our second episode, we welcome our lovely ACE IT participants, Tommy Taylor and Dorothy Hall. They share insights from their journeys into the world of technology and reflect on how today’s digital landscape compares with the one they grew up in. Look out for this episode this Friday 20th March!
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Our PhD researcher Semih Vazgecen entered the Dance Your PhD competition run by AAAS and Science! The challenge is to explain your PhD research through interpretive dance. Semih, along with the rest of the APRIL PhD team, took on the challenge to bring his research to life in a creative way. His PhD is titled: “Non-frontal Facial Recognition using Generative Models and Memristor-based Classifiers.”
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Watch here as the team translates complex AI concepts into movement, rhythm, and choreography. A fantastic mix of science, creativity, and teamwork!
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Verification + Semiconductors Futures 2026
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We’re thrilled to announce that APRIL researcher Ramesh Krishnamurthy will be joining Verification + Semiconductors Futures UK 2026 conference as a speaker! Ramesh will be presenting: Evaluating AI-Generated Formal Verification Harnesses for RTL Using an Open-Source, Non-Vacuity-Aware Flow.
📅 Date: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
📍 Venue: University of Reading, UK
🌐 Format: In‑Person & Online (via MS Teams)
Sign up here!
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Organised by Tessolve in collaboration with Alpinum Consulting, this one‑day conference brings together engineers, researchers, startups, and decision‑makers to explore the future of design verification and semiconductor innovation.
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We were delighted to host Yohanes Scarlett from the Royal Academy of Engineering to speak to us about why EDI is essential for engineering. We discussed not only considering unconscious bias, but conscious inclusion, and how work spaces can be made more inclusive for everyone.
Creating solutions to complex problems requires many different mindsets, and this is why equality, diversity, inclusion and equity are so important. In this workshop, groups discussed different potential personas, what might exclude them from a space, what adjustments could be made to accommodate a range of needs, and potential methods to measure the success of inclusive adjustments. It was a valuable workshop for all who attended, and we thank Yohanes again for visiting us!
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Dr. Rain (YuQin) Zhao is currently a Research Associate in AI for verification and testing automation at the University of Edinburgh. His research focuses on integrating artificial intelligence into electronic design automation (EDA) workflows for design, verification, and testing, alongside broader interests in hardware-accelerated SoC design and next-generation EDA tool development. He received his Ph.D. in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from the University of Sheffield, UK, where his research centered on intelligent High-Level Synthesis (HLS) and AI-enhanced EDA methodologies for FPGA and ASIC design, with applications in software-defined radio (SDR) and AI-accelerated systems. He previously earned his M.Sc. from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, and his B.Eng. from Tamkang University.
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Dr Zarak Bhat is joining the APRIL AI Hub as a Research Associate in AI for Electron Device Design. She completed her PhD in 2025 from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Srinagar, where she developed physics-based compact models for advanced wide-bandgap semiconductor devices, including p-GaN/AIGaN/GaN HEMTs and GaN-based p-channel HFETs. Her work focused on translating semiconductor transport physics into predictive, simulation-ready frameworks for next-generation device design. She previously earned her M.Tech from Jamia Millia Islamia in 2019, where she worked on approximate circuit design, exploring efficient and error-tolerant digital architectures. At the APRIL AI Hub, her current research integrates AI-driven methodologies into electron device design workflows to accelerate optimisation, enhance performance prediction, and improve productivity across the semiconductor innovation pipeline.
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Dr Kaiyuan Yang is a Research Associate in AI for Electronic Systems Modelling at the APRIL AI Hub. His research explores how artificial intelligence can transform semiconductor design workflows, particularly in AI-driven Electronic Design Automation, system-level modelling, and accelerator architecture exploration. He introduced the concept of Natural-Level Synthesis (NLS), a design stage that translates high-level design intent expressed in natural language into synthesisable hardware descriptions, bridging system specification and RTL implementation. His work focuses on AI-assisted system partitioning, modelling of complex electronic systems, and abstraction-aware design automation. By combining generative AI techniques with hardware prototyping and architectural exploration, his research aims to improve design productivity and support the development of next-generation semiconductor systems.
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Alin develops and fabricates thin-film transistors for AI hardware, with a focus on integrating memory devices directly with transistors into architectures that enable in-memory computing. By combining data storage and computation within the same structures, this approach has the potential to significantly accelerate processing while reducing energy consumption. His work also explores translating these device architectures onto flexible substrates, expanding the possibilities for integrating advanced computing capabilities into a wider range of electronic platforms.
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