Welcome to the first edition of the APRIL AI Hub’s monthly newsletter.

The APRIL AI Hub brings together the artificial intelligence (AI) and electronics communities to develop AI-driven tools aimed at improving productivity throughout the electronics supply chain. We focus on everything from materials discovery to device design and testing, helping push the boundaries of what’s possible in the field.

We were very pleased to represent APRIL at the recent partnership collaborations event with Engineers from Heriot-Watt University as part of the Edinburgh Research Partnership in Engineering (ERPE). We heard lightening talks from Early Career Researchers from both Universities which gave us an insight into the breadth and depth of the exciting new research being undertaken across ERPE. Alongside other research projects, we showcased what we are doing to raise awareness and encourage interest and potential collaborations.

Every September, Scotland’s largest free festival, the ‘Doors Open Day’, welcomes the public to explore various buildings and institutions across the country for free. The APRIL Hub joined in with a stand in our Kings Building Campus where we welcomed over 2000 visitors including loads of future engineers! We look forward to opening our doors again in 2025!

Dr Ben Rowlinson

The APRIL AI Hub welcomes our new Pillar One researcher, Ben Rowlinson. Ben joins us from the University of Southampton where he completed his BEng degree in Electronic Engineering before completing his PhD in Electronic and Electrical Engineering in 2023. His research work broadly addresses novel and emerging materials for electronic devices alongside using heterogeneous integration paradigms to enhance functionality. Prior to joining the APRIL Hub, he was working on a post-doc at the University of Southampton developing novel p-type metal oxide materials and deposition techniques. In his spare time, he can often be found with his nose in a book, running up the steepest hills around in brightly coloured shorts or playing the drums in local bands spanning prog rock, jazz and funk.

Dr Santhosh Sivasubramani

We also warmly welcome our new Pillar Five researcher, Santhosh Sivasubramani.  Santhosh joins us from Hyderabad, India where he completed his Masters and Doctoral degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).  His research includes rebooting computing architecture design tailored towards beyond CMOS digital IC design alongside graphene nanofabrication and modelling. Alongside his research, Santhosh is also a freelance science journalist who reports for India Science Wire a DST initiative and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). Santhosh has recently moved to Edinburgh, his first time leaving his home country and is excited to explore this new culture and meet new people!