Digital Research Conference

Digital Research Conference at the University of Edinburgh

ThemesCall for abstractsSponsorship OpportunitiesTimelinePast ConferencesContact Details

The 2026 Digital Research Conference will take place on 26th February 2026 at Edinburgh Futures Institute. It brings together University of Edinburgh researchers and professional staff engaged in digital, data-intensive, and computational research to promote best practices, inspire collaboration, and stimulate discussions across various research fields.

Attendees experience a diverse programme featuring keynote talks, interactive panels, hands-on workshops, and breakout sessions covering emerging trends, digital research skills, and innovative methodologies.

Themes

  • AI in Research – Promise, Pitfalls & Practice: Discover how AI reshapes research - automating tasks, ethical considerations, governance, and practical AI tool applications across fields. 
  • Digital Research Infrastructure and the Future of Research Computing: Learn about core technologies and platforms enabling current and future digital research, focusing on infrastructure innovations and computing capabilities.
  • Interdisciplinary Digital Research: From Humanities to Medicine: Explore interdisciplinary research where digital methods foster collaboration and innovation across diverse fields, from humanities to medicine.
  • Ethics, Security & Integrity in Digital Research: Focus on trust, privacy, and ethics in digital research, focusing on safeguarding data and maintaining research integrity.
  • Green Digital Research Practices & Sustainability: Explore how to make digital research environmentally responsible, covering strategies and examples for reducing ecological impact.
  • Embedding Digital Tools in Research, Innovation, Teaching and Learning: Discover how digital tools are embedded in research and teaching to build interdisciplinary skills and foster digital literacy across careers.

Call for abstracts

We welcome submissions from University of Edinburgh researchers, professional staff supporting research, and postgraduates across all disciplines. Abstracts may relate to one or more of the conference themes, and presentations may take the form of oral presentations, lightning talks, posters, or panel contributions.

Abstract Submission Form

Sponsorship Opportunities

We are delighted to welcome enquiries from organisations interested in sponsoring the Digital Research Conference 2026.

If you would like to explore sponsorship opportunities, please contact the organising committee with the subject line: “Sponsorship Enquiry – Digital Research Conference 2026”.

Timeline

  • Conference announcement: Jun 2025
  • Call for abstracts opens: Aug 2025
  • Abstracts submission closes: Oct 2025 
  • Conference programme announcement & attendee registration opens: Nov 2025
  • Registration closes: Jan 2026

Past Conferences

2025 Conference

  • Keynote Speakers: Dr Sarah Butcher, and a closing panel featuring Professor Shannon Vallor, Professor Michèle Weiland, and Professor Miguel O. Bernabeu
  • Breakout Sessions: Explore a wide range of topics including AI, sensitive research data, digital research infrastructure, and advancing digital research skills
  • Workshops and Roundtables: Gain practical insights into sustainable digital practices, social care data, and empowering non-coders
  • Networking Opportunities: Connect with peers and experts in the field.
Book of Abstracts

Session 1

• Are You Even Real? Rethinking Research Ethics in the Age of AI - Nicola Osborne
• The Role of Data Intermediation Service Providers in Developing AI Products or Services under the Data Governance Act - Tianqi Bi
• AI-Generated Films and Posthumanism: A Less Human-Centred Research Method in Posthuman Film Studies - Yufeng Li

• 'Publomics' - The Application of AI to Developing Useful, Compressed Intelligence - Malcolm Macleod
• Edinburgh's Contributions to the WLCG Global Computing Infrastructure - Robert Currie
• Rucio: Global Distributed Policy Driven Data Management - James Perry

• Led by Susan Shenkin
• An interactive workshop focusing on using individual-level social care data for research, discussing opportunities, barriers, and ethical considerations.

• Led by Alexander Corbishley
• Investigates how digital technology is used to manage pain, exploring ethical implications and oversight.

Session 2

• Harnessing Routine Hospital Event Data to Understand Early Unplanned Readmissions and Relationships with Multimorbidity Status - Konstantin Georgiev
• Single Machine Learning Classifier Pipeline to Detect Infantile Spasms in a Clinical Dataset - Bartlomiej Chybowski
• Beyond the Surface: Revealing Researchers' Behaviour in Public Repositories - Maira Juliana Rodriguez Cubillos

• 'Ethical and Methodological Considerations of Using X and Facebook for Research - Raul Gomez Hernandez
• Beyond Datasets in DMPs - Vashti Galpin
• 'I Want a Website'. Rethinking Online Presence: Balancing Immediate Needs and Long-Term Preservation - Sonia Virdi
• Green RSE - Kirsty Pringle

• Led by Lisa Otty
• Explores sustainable digital research practices and introduces the Digital Humanities Climate Coalition Toolkit.

• Led by Jonathan Corney
• Discusses how artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing, and robotics might change the factories of the future.

Session 3

• AI and L2 Learners’ Motivation - Mei-Hua Yang
• Systematic Online Living Evidence Summaries: A Computational Workflow for Evidence Synthesis - Emma Wilson
• AI Tools and Quality in Evidence Syntheses - Marshall Dozier

• Pushing Health Data Access Boundaries - Adapting NHS Governance for Clinical Free-Text and AI Development - Amy Tilbrook
• Prevalence and Outcomes of Recorded Dementia Vary by Data Source: A Population Cohort Study of 133,407 Older Adults Using Linked Primary Care, Hospital, and Community Prescribing Data - Rose Penfold
• Individual-Level Financial Transaction Data - Challenges and Opportunities - Oliver Berry

• Led by Stela McLachlan
• Learn about the UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration, its secure research environment, and its support for longitudinal studies, covering data security and ethical considerations.

• Led by Lucia Michielin
• Explore strategies for teaching coding to non-coders, discussing effective methods and overcoming challenges to integrate digital tools into research practices.

Contact Details