Meet the Techies - Kevin Curran

We’re working with some of the best tech minds in Northern Ireland over the course of the Techies in Residence programme, and none more so than Kevin Curran, Reader in Computer Science and group leader for the Ambient Intelligence Research Group at Ulster University based at the Magee campus.

Dr. Curran has made significant contributions to advancing the knowledge of computer networking, evidenced by over 800 published works. He is a regular contributor to BBC radio & TV news in the UK and is an IEEE Technical Expert for Security and a member of the EPSRC Peer Review College.

Tell us a little about yourself and your organisation

I am a Reader in Computer Science and group leader for the Ambient Intelligence & Virtual Worlds Research Group. I teach computer networks and systems security at Ulster University.

I am a regular contributor to BBC radio & TV news in the UK and quoted in trade and consumer IT magazines. I am an IEEE Technical Expert for Security and a member of the EPSRC Peer Review College.

 Ulster University is a multi-campus public university located in Northern Ireland. It is the second largest university in Ireland, after the federal National University of Ireland.

It is often referred to simply as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. The University has a national and international reputation for academia, innovation and regional engagement making a major contribution to the economic, social and cultural development of Northern Ireland.

It plays a key role in attracting inward investment through research and innovation and technology and knowledge transfer in addition to its core business of teaching and learning and widening access to education.

What attracted you to the Techies in Residence Programme?

I liked what I had seen about the programme and thought it was an interesting space to explore.

What attracted you to working with DTNI and Place?

I was attracting to working with DTNI/Place NI as the Project revolved around location. I have been involved in the location space for a number of years.

Tell us a little about what’s exciting about this project?

It’s exciting due to the integration of real world data overlays with web based maps to provide useful information to the public.

What challenges do you think you’re going to face in this process?

All technical projects have their own peculiar challenges. I suspect here it will be getting data from the correct sources.

How do you think this process can help VCSE organisations in Northern Ireland and further afield?

I think they may get some projects of the ground which might not otherwise happen.

To find out more about this project, and the rest of the Techies in Residence programme check their website - techinres.com or follow them on Twitter - @techinres.