Nick Hawes

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.