An Exeter academic who specialises in the movement of proteins has been named among 20 new UKRI-funded Turing AI Fellows, who use artificial intelligence to tackle some of society's biggest health challenges.
Dr JJ Phillips, of the University of Exeter's Living Systems Institute, will combine molecular biophysics with AI to help us design new proteins that sense and respond to their surroundings.
Dr Phillips said: "AI has already transformed protein design, but the products it designs largely sit still. Nature's proteins bend and flex to switch on or off, and that motion is how they sense and respond to the world - that's ultimately what lets us see, move or think. Our experiments let us watch that motion as it happens, and that is exactly the information AI design tools are missing. This Fellowship will connect us. Biosensors are our first test, and success would pave the way to designing far more capable molecular machines for advanced research and medicine."
The project's ambition has the backing of Professor David Baker of the University of Washington, who shared the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for computational protein design and is a collaborator on PHASE.
UKRI has announced 20 new Turing AI Fellows through two complementary fellowship schemes that will help to build the UK's artificial intelligence capability.
From developing AI-powered tools that could unlock new therapies and revolutionise disease diagnosis, improving nuclear safety and supporting the UK's transition to clean energy, the new cohort of researchers will use artificial intelligence to tackle some of society's biggest challenges.
Backed by more than £39 million in government funding, the new fellows will help strengthen the UK's artificial intelligence capability by both advancing core AI research and accelerating the adoption of AI across disciplines.
The cohort includes 17 researchers supported through the Turing AI Pioneer Interdisciplinary Fellowships, which include Dr Phillips, and three supported through the Turing AI Global Fellowships. Together, the schemes will strengthen UK AI potential in two ways: attracting world-class AI researchers to the UK and enabling leading experts from other disciplines to use AI to drive new discoveries and innovation.
Delivered by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), both schemes form part of UKRI's wider investment in AI through its IS8 AI Priority Programme, supporting the government's Industrial Strategy. The fellowships contribute to UKRI's wider investment of more than £11 billion in the UK's highest-potential sectors, building on more than a decade of research and innovation funding that is already delivering benefits for the economy and society.
Professor Charlotte Deane, Senior Responsible Owner for the UKRI IS8 AI Programme and Executive Chair of EPSRC, said: "AI has enormous potential to transform the way we understand and tackle some of the biggest challenges facing society. These fellowships will give outstanding researchers the freedom and support to push the boundaries of AI itself, while also applying it in new ways across a wide range of disciplines.
"They are also part of UKRI's long-term commitment to AI, building on sustained investment that is helping to strengthen the UK's position as a global leader in AI research and innovation.
"By investing in exceptional people and ideas, UKRI is helping to build the expertise and capability the UK needs to remain at the forefront of AI research and innovation, and to turn advances in AI to advance knowledge, improve lives and drive growth across the UK."
