Autumn newsletter

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Upcoming Workshop – Humans & Digital Twins

A workshop is planned for industry and public sector organisations interested in Digital Twin applications that require human representation. Led by Prof. Saeema Ahmed-Kristensen & Dr Karl Johnson.

We are looking for industry participants who would like to share learnings or challenges related to representing humans in digital twins. This could be behavioural, physiological or psychological.

Contact: [email protected] for workshop interest and details.

This follows the UKRI Digital Twin Network’s General Assembly (Swansea University, June 2025), where Saeema Ahmed-Kristensen, co-investigator, participated in a fireside panel focusing on early-career researchers. (Read more)

Fast, Free, and Focused:
Get a Digital Roadmap for Your SME in Under 30 Minutes

We’re inviting manufacturing SMEs to participate in a quick 20–25 minute study testing a new Digital Transformation Chatbot (DTChatbot) that uses advanced language-model technology to identify your organisation’s top digital priorities and pain points through a focused, conversational assessment, offering an alternative to lengthy consultancy.

The chatbot asks intelligent follow-ups to uncover root causes, then analyses the dialogue into prioritised, actionable recommendations. Sessions conclude with a comprehensive report, including a roadmap, as well as periodic check-ins to track progress over time. Led by DIGIT Lab (UKRI/EPSRC, University of Exeter), this study provides fast, practical insights in under half an hour, with a tailored summary of your priorities and next steps.

Your feedback will help shape SME-focused digital tools for the future. No setup is required; it’s suitable for manufacturing SMEs across various roles (operations, IT, finance, HR, marketing, and leadership) looking to start, refine, or reassess their digital initiatives. Data is confidential and reported in aggregate, without any identifiers, and with no consent required. Learn more about DIGIT Lab at digit.ac.uk.

Contact: Gokcen Yilmaz ([email protected]) and Jiawei Zheng ([email protected])

DIGIT Lab’s Writing Retreat at Cumberland Lodge

The DIGIT Lab writing retreat took place at Cumberland Lodge, providing the multidisciplinary team a chance to concentrate on their writing while fostering cross-disciplinary understanding. A presentation was given by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) regarding evidence-based policy writing, specifically focusing on technology adoption, identifying pertinent funding opportunities, and the requirements for writing within Computer Science, Design, Business, and Management.

Our films

Using Data to Drive Innovation – Smart Lights

On 2nd July 2025, a workshop was held in Dublin as part of the Spinovate project, which aims to unlock the potential of connected bikes by generating rich sensor data to support safer, more sustainable cycling. The workshop brought together 20 participants from across Dublin’s councils, MOBY Bikes, digital innovation teams, and the EIT funding body. The attendees work in areas including digital twins, smart cities, open data, active travel, and bike share schemes.

26 July 2025 • Workshop: Working with AI: Insights and Pathways for New Directions in Work Design, at AoM 2025

27 July 2025 • Symposium: Advancing Knowledge on Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace, at AoM 2025

Zhang J, Han J, Ahmed-Kristensen S (2025, August 17). Chain-Of-Thought For Design Creativity Evaluation. In Proceedings of the ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences (IDETC/CIE2025). Anaheim, California. [DOI needed]

Mackay C, Ahmed-Kristensen S (2023). Managing smart systems for the net zero agenda – How can digital twin technologies and smart products deliver customer value? Proceedings of the Design Society, 3, 2545–2554. DOI.

Johnson K, Ahmed-Kristensen S (2025, August 11–15). Exploring the role of human data in data-driven design. Proceedings of the Design Society, 5, 1743–1752. DOI

Zhang J, Han J, Ahmed-Kristensen S (2025). Exploring the use of LLMs to evaluate design creativity. Proceedings of the Design Society, 5, 1773–1782. DOI

Han J, Jiang P, Ahmed-Kristensen S (2025). Opportunities and challenges of AI in design: a practical study from the manufacturing industry. Proceedings of the Design Society, 5, 2551–2560. DOI

Obieke CC, Bridgeman J, Han J (2025). A framework of AI collaboration in engineering design (AICED). Proceedings of the Design Society, 5, 91–100. DOI

Tong K-L, Wu K-R, Ren Y, Parr G, Tseng Y-C (2025, June). DAIoTtalk: A data-decentralized pub-sub AIoT platform. In Proceedings of the IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC2025-Spring). [DOI needed]

Kazantsev N, Islam N, Zwigelaar J, Maull R, Brown A, Vorley T (2025). Leveraging unstructured data sharing in open innovation: A business model for large research-intensive firms. R&D Management. DOI.

Luo C, Li Z, Min G, Parr G (2025). Optimisation for control and data traffic in aerial-terrestrial UxV networks: A multi-objective policy-based learning approach. IEEE Internet of Things Journal. DOI

Kulichyova A, Islam N, Kazantsev N, White L (2025). Digital transformation in large established organisations: Four restructuring dilemmas based on dynamic capabilities. International Journal of Management Reviews. DOI.

Lee B, Ahmed-Kristensen S (2025). D3 framework: An evidence-based data-driven design framework for new product service development. Computers in Industry 164, 104206). DOI.

Kind regards,
Prof Saeema Ahmed-Kristensen
Director of DIGIT Lab on behalf of the team