Leading expert to support the next wave of data and AI innovation
Professor Ashmita Randhawa has been announced as the first ever Director of Policy and Skills for the National Innovation Centre for Data (NICD), at Newcastle University
Professor Ashmita Randhawa is the first Director of Policy and Skills for the National Innovation Centre for Data (NICD), at Newcastle University
Biomedical engineer turned social scientist, Professor Ashmita Randhawa, has been appointed as Director of Policy and Skills at the National Innovation Centre for Data (NICD), and Professor of Practice at Newcastle University.
She has spent the last two decades working in roles that span product development, academic research on skills, innovation, and technology adoption across various industries.
Professor Randhawa spent six years in corporate R&D at Procter & Gamble where she learned how ideas survive in the real world and how to design to meet consumer needs, after which she did a DPhil at the University of Oxford, driven by a passion to help encourage more women towards STEM subjects.
Later, at Sunderland Software City, she built innovation and skills programmes to continue to place the north-east of England on the technology map.
Professor Randhawa said: “I'm incredibly excited to be joining the National Innovation Centre for Data as the Director for Policy and Skills. It comes at an important moment: with the region's AI Growth Zone and the growing opportunities for AI nationally and internationally creating a momentum like never before.
"This however can only be translated to growth if organisations, from the smallest to the large, and communities across the region have the skills and confidence to use these technologies well; which is what the National Innovation Centre for Data exists to do.
“Having worked closely with the team for the last few years, this feels like a brilliant opportunity to build on a deep relationship to create some exciting opportunities.”
From mining for coal to mining for data
Established in 2017 with joint funding from Newcastle University and central Government, NICD helps organisations across the UK unlock the value of data and artificial intelligence AI. This work supports better services, new jobs, and solutions to major societal challenges.
Based at Newcastle Helix, which sits on the historic site of the former North Elswick Colliery, NICD brings together businesses, public sector organisations, charities, and academic experts to unlock innovation, test new ideas, and transform complex data into practical solutions that benefit people everywhere.
NICD experts help organisations use data science and AI to improve performance, develop new products and services, and build long-term in-house capability. We work with small-to-medium enterprises, large corporations, public sector bodies, and charities through a wide range of collaborative projects and skills transfer.
