Vaclav Bayer, who joined KMi as a part-time doctoral student in 2020, successfully defended his thesis on 9 September 2025. His work asks a single, urgent question: can the data we already collect about students be used to tackle the issue of awarding gaps that negatively impact our marginalised students? Awarding gaps – the unexplained…
The 21st edition of the International Conference on Semantic Systems, commonly known as SEMANTiCS, took place in Vienna last week. This yearly event brings together academics and industry professionals to transfer knowledge and advance innovation. Around 300 participants from across Europe and beyond attended SEMANTiCS 2025. Major themes discussed included various combinations of symbolic and…
No industry is immune to misinformation, including food and drinks. KMi’s director, Harith Alani, was interviewed by Food Manufacture; the leading online resource for the UK’s food and drink manufacturing industry, to highlight the threat of misinformation in this sector. Recently, false claims about the feed additive Bovaer, for instance, caused unnecessary consumer panic and…
KMi is delighted to announce that the Early Alert Indicators Dashboard, led by KMi’s Prof. Miriam Fernandez and powered by the OU Analyse team, has won the prestigious MK STEM Award 2025 in the AI Impact category. This accolade celebrates the team’s innovative use of artificial intelligence to transform education and promote equitable learning opportunities. The MK STEM Awards recognise excellence and innovation…
Dr Aisling Third, KMi’s Research Fellow, recently joined the Academic Co-Leads for Generative AI in Learning, Teaching and Assessment, Dr Mirjam Hauck (Senior Lecturer at the School of Languages and Applied Linguistics) and Dr Michel Wermelinger (Senior Lecturer in Computing) for a podcast hosted by Pedagodzilla. The discussion focused on the intersection of AI and…
The Open University hosted the “GenAI: Adult Skills and Learning conference”, an in-person event forming part of the Milton Keynes City Council AI Festival (MKAIFest), sponsored by Infosys and with around 150 attendees. The conference was co-chaired by KMi’s Prof John Domingue and Esther Spring, showcasing the OU’s commitment to harnessing Generative AI (GenAI) to…
This past Tuesday, The Open University welcomed a delegation from Chengdu Open University (CDOU), engaging in productive discussions centred on academic exchange and AI innovations. Our director, Harith Alani, presented KMi’s history and expertise in research and innovation that are focused on bringing cutting-edge technology to higher education. KMi and CDOU discussed their strong interest…
KMi was founded in 1995, making this its 30th year. This year is particularly significant, not only because of the upcoming milestone anniversary but also because the external funding secured by KMi researchers since its inception has surpassed £50 million! This achievement, especially impressive in today’s highly competitive funding environment, reflects our commitment to advancing…
The Open University recently hosted its prestigious Research Excellence Awards ceremony at Unity Place in Central Milton Keynes, with over 250 attendees gathered to celebrate the remarkable research being conducted across the university. This year’s event, themed Shaping the Future, not only highlighted the excellence of OU’s research but also showcased the societal impact of…
