Spring newsletter

Dear all,

We need your vote!

DIGIT Lab and partners have been shortlisted as one of just three finalists in the Digital Leaders' AI Impact Awards, under the category 'AI for Enterprise Industry, Manufacturing & Supply Chain' 🏆

Please vote for us – 'University of Exeter, Innovation with Data and AI Stakeholder Programme'
 
👉 Vote here - https://form.jotform.com/260543993655367?kuid=a964e705-e96e-4ee9-b46a-3d456c808737-1772098206&kref=CGgcsMZQvWoQ

🗓️ Voting closes 17 March 2026
Find out more about our entry here:

Thanks for the support!

Press appearances

D.Coded Podcast

Professor Saeema Ahmed-Kristensen, Prof of Design Engineering & Innovation, Director of DIGIT Lab, University of Exeter and Melisa Leñero, Director of Paul Polak Innovation Fund at International Development Enterprises. They met a decade ago on a joint RCA/Imperial course that Saeema led and Melisa studied.

D.coded decodes design, technology, and the experiences shaping our world. As hosts, Saeema and Melisa will explore how these influence how we live, work, and connect.

The podcast is available on TikTok  @dcoded.podcast, Instagram @dcoded.podcast,  Spotify @dcoded-podcast, Apple @dcoded-podcast and YouTube.

Writing Retreat at Cumberland Lodge

The DIGIT Lab team recently came together for a three-day writing retreat at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park, from 2nd–4th March. The retreat gave colleagues dedicated time to focus on the kind of deep, uninterrupted writing that can be hard to prioritise in a busy academic environment. Alongside the writing sessions, participants heard talks on topics ranging from digital transformation and horizon scanning to commercialisation and real-world applications. It was a valuable opportunity to make meaningful progress on journal articles and grant applications, with support and informal discussion woven throughout.

Pergelova A, Beck S, Stylos N & Zwiegelaar J (2026). A balancing act: Smart Technology for SMEs in the Hospitality Industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 132, Article 104384. DOI

Phillips L A, Walker-Davies P, Maull R, & Ng I (2026). The role of inter-organisational capabilities in creating the lock-in effect in servitization. Production Planning & Control, 1–18. DOI.

Zhang J, Han J, Ahmed-Kristensen S (2025). Multi-agent LLM with the Chain-of-Thought for Design Creativity Evaluation. Human-Computer Interaction. HCII 2025. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 16332. Springer, Cham. DOI

Xiong R, Ren Y, Shi X, Ren W, Parr G (2025, November). Multicast-driven privacy for network RTK: Utilising mobile networks while limiting their awareness. Proceedings of the 24th IEEE International Conference on Trust, Security and Privacy in Computing and Communications (TrustCom ’25).

Jiang P, Han J and Ahmed-Kristensen, S (2025) “A two-stage retrieval-augmented generation framework for producing sustainable product design guidelines,” Sustainable Futures, Vol 10. DOI

Obieke C, Milisavljevic-Syed J, Jiang P, Bridgeman J and Han J (2025) Trailblazing Specific Generative Models (SGMs) for Early-Stage Engineering Design Concepts. Design and Artificial Intelligence. DOI

Wang B, Zhao X, Zuo H, Song Y, Han J, Childs P and Chen L (2025). From analogy to innovation: A creative conceptual design approach leveraging large language models. Advanced Engineering Informatics. DOI

Asan K, Zwiegelaar J (2025). Digital leisure use and psychological well-being among recreation management students: The mediating role of social media engagement; Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education. DOI

Pergelova A, Zwiegelaar J, & Smale, B. (2025). The eudaimonic well-being of entrepreneurs: A gendered perspective. Journal of Small Business Management, 1–37. DOI

Stylos, N., & Zwiegelaar, J. (Eds.). (2025). Handbook on Big Data Marketing and Management in Tourism and Hospitality. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. DOI

Stylos, N., & Zwiegelaar, J. (2025). "1: Adoption and assimilation of Big Data in tourism organizations". In Handbook on Big Data Marketing and Management in Tourism and Hospitality. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. DOI

Zwiegelaar, J., & Stylos, N. (2025). "7: Issues and opportunities for tourism SME businesses: how is Big Data changing business models?". In Handbook on Big Data Marketing and Management in Tourism and Hospitality. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. DOI

Zwiegelaar, J., & Stylos, N. (2025). "16: Big data in marketing services and products: impacts of marketing and ethics". In Handbook on Big Data Marketing and Management in Tourism and Hospitality. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. DOI

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