Ross Robertson, Farm Technology Specialist at UK Agri-Tech Centre brings overs 30 years of comprehensive experience in agriculture. His roots in farming trace back to childhood, giving him hands-on expertise in various areas of agriculture including beef, sheep, arable, dairy, vegetables and engineering. Over three decades of practical work has honed his skills in these areas and provided him with a deep understanding of the industry.

In addition to his extensive practical on-farm experience, Ross has spent a decade in B2C and B2B product and technology development sales. Further experience includes founding and managing his own company where he was involved in purchasing, staffing, training and business management. Furthermore, he has 3 years’ experience in an RTO organisation.

In his current role Ross is the technical lead on innovative funded and commercial projects. He collaborates with SME’s and organisations both in the UK and internationally to develop innovative solutions that address critical gaps in the agricultural sector. Additionally, Ross plays an important role in managing 25 commercial farms around the UK, which serve as test beds for IUK funded activities. He also works closely with members and partners to utilise the commercial farm network for testing and demonstrating new technologies.

Dr Andrew O’Malley holds the position of Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director at the Scottish Graduate Entry Medical Programme (ScotGEM) at the University of St Andrews School of Medicine. With a focus on health professions education, Andrew has interests in the application of generative AI in higher education, technology and telehealth education, and studying the career intentions of medical students who aim to practice in remote/rural settings. Beyond academia, Andrew's consultancy expertise is sought after by a range of organizations including Russell Group Universities, education technology companies, the video games entertainment industry and The United Nations.

Luke is Dean of Learning and Teaching and Head of the AbLE Academy at Abertay University and Professor of Student Development He is a Principal Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy which recognised his work on improving the student experience through collaborative working with staff and students in the areas of student engagement and co-creation, student employment, transitions and the first-year experience. Luke’s interest in AI focuses on the ways it can support student learning, specifically around how universities prepare students to creatively engage with AI when they leave university and join the workforce.

In his current role Ross is the technical lead on innovative funded and commercial projects. He collaborates with SME’s and organisations both in the UK and internationally to develop innovative solutions that address critical gaps in the agricultural sector. Additionally, Ross plays an important role in managing 25 commercial farms around the UK, which serve as test beds for IUK funded activities. He also works closely with members and partners to utilise the commercial farm network for testing and demonstrating new technologies

European Patent Attorney. Jess works in the electrical and mechanical patents team at Lawrie and has experience across several fields including, software and AI-based inventions, medical devices, nuclear engineering, sensor systems, optical systems, microelectromechanical systems, mechanical engineering, and semiconductor device electronics.

After graduating from University of Edinburgh, Jess spent 4 years training in a large patent firm in Oxford before returning to Scotland to continue her IP career.

Her practice areas include drafting patent applications and prosecuting them through to grant, handling international patent portfolios and working with foreign attorneys, providing patentability advice, providing freedom to operate advice, filing registered design applications in the UK and EU, and working with individual inventors, start-ups, spin outs, research institutions and multinational companies.

Client focussed and passionate, Jess loves nothing more than hearing about new inventions, figuring out how they work and then taking a nuanced and tricky patent problem and providing the client with clear and easy to digest advice.

Eilidh McLaughlin is the Deputy Director for Digital Ethics, Inclusion and Assurance and is head of the Digital Citizen Division. The Division is new within the Digital Directorate and covers the Connecting Scotland programme and the Ethical Digital Nation team. It also comprises Information Management and Assurance teams, thus considering digital citizenry from an internal and external perspective. This role combines Eilidh’s previous experience in corporate governance, equalities and information management. The ethos of the Division is to make sure that No One is Left Behind and to ensure that digital work is done in an ethical, inclusive way.

Previously, Eilidh was the Associate Director, Information Security and Governance in mid-January 2020, combining previous information security and information governance teams from separate parts of NHS National Services Scotland. The team led on ensuring the integrity of the IT estate and the quality and security of service across critical business systems to stay ahead of threats, internal and external as well as maintaining a strong confidentiality and privacy ethos to all work in NSS. The team was pivotal in relation to the digital covid response work.

Gillian Easson is Executive Director of Creative Dundee, an organisation which centres creative communities as powerful catalysts for collective good.

Built by, with and for the local creative community, Creative Dundee is grounded in a deep understanding of the city and the strengths, needs and challenges facing creative practitioners and businesses. We amplify, connect and create opportunities for people and our place through our digital platform, Amps network, social and climate justice projects, events programme, and improving access to much-needed creative space.

With a creative economy background in harnessing design, creativity and innovation for impact, Gillian believes that creative communities enable us to reimagine and navigate complexities to create better, fairer futures.