Nick Hawes is a leading authority on artificial intelligence, currently working as a Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at the University of Oxford. Pioneering research regarding the creation of intelligent and autonomous robots, Nick is also the Director of the Oxford Robotics Institute at the University of Oxford, a federation of seven research groups spanning the breadth of robotics conducting research dedicated to changing what robots can do for humans. To share his expertise in AI and robotics, Nick is now highly sought after as a keynote speaker, defining how intelligent robots and artificial intelligence will shape the future.
After graduating from the University of Birmingham with a BSc in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science and a PhD in Artificial Intelligence, having been a PhD Student at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Nick began his now illustrious career in AI as a Research Fellow for Media Lab Europe. After a year with the firm, Nick returned to the University of Birmingham to become a Research Fellow. Since then, Nick has been a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and Reader in Intelligent Robotics at the University of Birmingham, sharing his passion for robotics and AI with future generations. In 2017, Nick was appointed as a Tutorial Fellow at Pembroke College Oxford, a role he continues today, and has also acted as the Group Leader for AI and Robotics at the Alan Turing Institute.
Now the Director of the Oxford Robotics Institute, Nick spearheads the Goal-Orientated Autonomous Long-Lived Systems (GOALS) group – an organisation committed to research on sequential decision-making for autonomous systems. Nick was also instrumental in the ORI’s success in the Queen’s Anniversary Prize. Other highlights of Nick’s have included leading the EU STRANDS project, a project that achieved long-term autonomy for mobile service robots in everyday environments, and deploying an autonomous mission planning stack on a quadruped at an active nuclear site, and on an autonomous underwater vehicle harvesting data from a sensor network. Nick is also highly passionate about public engagement and is currently an Academic Champion for Public Engagement with Research at the University of Oxford.
Now highly sought after to share his expertise in robotics and AI, Nick is regularly hired as a keynote speaker – having previously been featured in media such as BBC Horizon, the One Show and the Now Show. Previously, Nick was sought to deliver the Lord Kelvin Award Lecture at the British Science Festival, and he has also shared his wisdom in the TEDx Talk “I, for One, Welcome Our New Robot Overlords”. If you are looking for a talented keynote speaker who can detail what the future holds for robotics and artificial intelligence, don’t hesitate to hire Nick Hawes today!
In August 2024 we sat down virtually with Nick Hawes to discuss the most exciting emerging technologies businesses should know about and his work with autonomous robots. Watch our Exclusive Interviews with nick Hawes on the Champions Speakers YouTube Channel.
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"Just want to let you know that Nick was fantastic today. We really appreciate learning directly from a leading expert on the hypes vs use cases of this cutting-edge technology. Nick was super articulate and even-handed, able to explain complicated subjects clearly to a semi-informed audience and we especially love his insights on what the successful integration of robotics AI looks like. We hope to do more of these with Nick in the future and we can't thank him enough for spending his morning with us." - Mandy, World50
- 2024 - Starred on the OxAI Podcast on "Insights & Outlook for Autonomous Robotics"
- 2022 - Interviewed by OxfordSparks on the HUDSON Project
- 2022 - Professor of Artificial Intelligence & Robotics at the University of Oxford
- 2022 - Director of the Oxford Robotics Institute at the University of Oxford
- 2017 - Associate Professor at the University of Oxford
- 2017 - Tutorial Fellow at Pembroke College, Oxford
- 2015 - Reader in Autonomous Intelligent Robotics at the University of Birmingham
- 2013 - Selected to deliver the Lord Kelvin Award Lecture at the British Science Festival
- 2013 - Senior Lecturer in Intelligent Robotics at the University of Birmingham
- 2011 - Won a place on RAEng
- 2009 - Lecturer in Intelligent Robotics at the University of Birmingham
- 2004 - Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham
- 2003 - Research Fellow of Media Lab Europe
- 1999 - PhD Student at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
- PI of the GOALS Research Group
- Group Leader for AI & Robotics at the Alan Turing Institute
- MPLS Academic Champion for Public Engagement with Research
- Honorary Reader in the School of Computer Science at the University of Birmingham
How to hire Nick Hawes
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Nick Hawes for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do NOT accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
