Leeds hosts Digital Universities UK event

Date

The University of Leeds is excited to host Digital Universities UK, an event bringing together higher education, industry and policy leaders at the forefront of academic innovation and technology.

The Times Higher Education (THE) event will take place from Monday 17 to Thursday 20 April and will feature 100 speakers sharing expertise in digital transformation across the university sector.

Digital Universities UK 2023 also includes interactive panels, live demonstrations, workshops, networking opportunities and a competition featuring innovative edtech start-ups. More than 600 delegates have signed up to attend the four-day event.

This year’s theme is ‘The innovation challenge: Accelerating digital higher education’, where the latest challenges and opportunities of digital-first higher education that will reshape the future will be presented.

This event could not be timelier – we have arrived at a historic moment to lead and shape the transformation in global higher education.

Professor Simone Buitendijk, University of Leeds Vice-Chancellor and President

Professor Simone Buitendijk, University of Leeds Vice-Chancellor and President, said: “It will be an invaluable platform for education leaders, policymakers and industry partners to gather to discuss how best to overcome the hurdles and obstacles the sector faces in the future. The theme of the event, ‘The innovation challenge: Accelerating digital higher education’, reflects the task ahead.”

The event’s keynote speakers are: 

  • Wei Li, Intel’s vice-president and general manager of artificial intelligence and analytics
  • Simone Buitendijk, University of Leeds President and Vice-Chancellor 
  • Simon Nelson, CEO of QA Higher Education

Expertise in digital transformation

Among the speakers, who will share expertise in digital transformation across the university sector, are Ash Roots, University of Exeter's chief digital officer, and Sarah Dyer, University of Manchester's Associate Dean of teaching, learning and students. 

Senior individuals from corporate tech companies that are speaking include Jen Wyatt, Microsoft’s director of education (UK), Louise Thorpe, Anthology’s vice-president and head of client experience (EMEA) and Joshua Sine, Qualtrics’ vice-president of higher education strategy and Emma Broom, Fujitsu’s head of local government and higher education. 

Charlotte Coles, THE’s director of global events and organiser of Digital Universities UK, said: “Digital Universities UK is set to be our biggest and best event yet for the higher education digital community.

“The programme and expert speakers will provide ample opportunity for higher education leaders to collaborate and provoke new ways of thinking about the positive changes that people, and technology, can bring to their institution.”

Further information: 

Picture Credit: Times Higher Education.

For more information, please contact Corporate Communications Officer, Becky Pascoe on r.pascoe@leeds.ac.uk