Welcome to the May edition of the APRIL AI Hub’s Newsletter!
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How do we translate innovations in AI for materials discovery into a real transistor, memristor, or solar cell? This is the question that drives me as I transition in my role of Research Associate in Pillar One to Research Fellow in Pillar Two. It is fertile ground for creative and inter-disciplinary research. I, for one, cannot wait to get stuck in!
Dr. Ben Rowlinson, Research Fellow
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We are thrilled to introduce you to our fantastic 2026 cohort of Google DeepMind Interns joining us from the 1st July.
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Blessing Gasongo is a final year BSc Creative Computing student at the University of Leicester, specialising in UX, product design and human-computer interaction. She is interested in human AI interaction design, specifically how AI systems can be made interpretable and accessible to the people using them. Blessing captains the Leicester Panthers cheerleading team (three time national champions) and is fluent in French.
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Dominic Stead is a final year Physics student at the University of Bath. His research interests focus on next-generation computation and interpretable AI. He is interested in how spintronics and 2D materials can be utilised to realise Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks for neuromorphic computing architectures that are both energy-efficient and inherently interpretable.
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Emma Deyell is a penultimate year Mathematics student at the University of Edinburgh and she has a strong interest in statistics and its applications to deep learning. Emma grew up in the Shetland Islands in a small learning community which really shaped her curiosity and drive.
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Mary Kong is a final year Electronics and Electrical Engineering student at the University of Edinburgh. Mary is interested in integrating machine learning with electronic and sensing systems. She is also passionate about applying AI-driven approaches to complex real-world systems, including autonomous agents, robotics, and electronic design automation. Mary’s experience includes being a visiting Student Researcher in Robotics, Caltech and an IC Design Intern at STMicroelectronics.
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Sean Yalçın is a final-year Computer Science student at Queen’s University Belfast. He has previously interned at Citi as a software Engineer and at AllState as a Software Test Engineer. Sean’s academic interests lie in high-performance computing and its applications to real-world problems, with a growing interest in electronics and chip design. Sean enjoys running and playing golf.
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Thiara de Alwis completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Bristol in Computer science with a focus on Human Computer Interaction and its applications in AI. Thiara’s research investigates how AI shapes everyday interactions, with a focus on designing technologies that are ethical, inclusive, and grounded in real human needs. Thiara’s recent work investigates the effects of multi agent AI mediation in small groups, exploring the dynamics of human-LLM conversations.
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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.
📅 24th and 25th November 2026
📍 John McIntyre Conference Centre, The University of Edinburgh
🌐 You can learn more about the Symposium here.
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Save the Date: 24th July 2026
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On 24th 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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Edinburgh Science Festival Podcasts
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The Edinburgh Science Festival 2026 may be over, but the conversation doesn’t stop there. You can still get involved by tuning into a series of podcasts we recorded with our brilliant participants, each exploring the impact of AI from a different angle.
🎙️ Offside Intelligence dives into the growing role of AI in football, unpacking both the opportunities and the challenges. It tackles big questions like: should human coaches ever be replaced by AI?
🎙️ Inside Artificial Intelligence looks at how AI is shaping society today and what the future might hold. From job disruption to everyday applications, the discussion balances risks with opportunities and shares practical tips on how to use AI more effectively.
🎙️ AI on Trial brings a lively debate to the table, questioning whether AI is ultimately a force for good or something we should be more cautious about and whether it deserves our trust. Listen here!
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DV Club Edinburgh: “AI in Design Verification”
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This event offers a practical overview of how AI is being applied in modern design verification workflows, including both its opportunities and current limitations, with discussion on safe and effective adoption in production environments.
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Date & Time: Wednesday, 3rd June,12:00 PM – 6:00 PM BST
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Venue: G.02 – Elm Lecture Theatre, The Nucleus Building, King’s Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3FG.
The workshop is free to attend, but registration is mandatory. While we strongly encourage in-person participation where possible, online attendance is also supported. Lunch will be provided.
A networking session with refreshments and snacks will follow from 5:00 PM onwards, offering participants an opportunity to interact with experts from academia and industry.
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Nano Energy Journal Paper
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What if machine learning could help us design better energy-harvesting devices? Our new paper accepted in Nano Energy journal introduces PhyTENG, a physics-informed ML framework that integrates multi-scale device physics from atomic/molecular material properties to surface and device characteristics to accurately predict triboelectric nanogenerator performance from sparse, literature-derived experimental data.
We show how to handle data sparsity and heterogeneity inherent in experimental materials science. By leveraging gradient boosting's native sparse-aware learning, we extract robust predictions without aggressive imputation, demonstrating a physics-informed approach broadly applicable across materials discovery workflows. This opens new pathways for accelerating materials and device design using incomplete, real-world experimental data.
Shashank Mishra
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APRIL researchers have been busy developing frameworks, developing designs for hardware development, and preparing for conference presentations.
Find out more in our Spring Research Insights blog article.
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A block diagram of the LaMDA framework running the analogue design flow
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