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Articles by Ruth Ntumba
“Can We Come Back Every Day?”: Girls Inspired at Imperial’s Hello World Hack
Excitement, curiosity and creativity filled the computing labs of Imperial College London’s Huxley Building on Thursday 11 June 2026, as nearly 60 primary schoolgirls took part in a one-day hackathon designed to inspire interest in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Hello World Hack is a one-day hackathon designed specifically for girls in Years 3 to 5 (ages 7–10).
Hidden risks in medical AI leave some patients more exposed, Imperial study finds
Artificial intelligence is transforming healthcare, but new research involving Imperial College London shows it may also put some patients at far greater risk of having their data exposed. Artificial intelligence is increasingly used to support diagnosis and treatment in healthcare.
Imperial joins Oxford and UCL in BOLD, new £30 million UK AI research lab
Am Imperial robotics expert is among those leading a major new artificial intelligence lab set up with £30 million of government funding.
Researchers develop AI model that makes large-scale molecular screening practical for the first time
Imperial College London researcher among a team working on a new AI model that makes screening up to one million molecules against a protein target practical for the first time. The Genesis Research Team, with contribution from Dr Joey Bose from Imperial’s Department of Computing and Carnegie Mellon University, has published a study on arXiv introducing DeCAF-Pearl, the first flow map model for all-atom cofolding.
Imperial Department of Computing brings alumni together for reunion
Nearly five decades of Computing alumni reunited for a special evening at the Royal Geographical Society. As graduates from 1976 to 2025 came together to reconnect, stories of friendships, careers and experiences shaped by the Department of Computing were shared across generations. The Department of Computing at Imperial College London welcomed alumni back to campus for a dedicated alumni evening on 13 May 2026, hosted at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in London.
Papers from the Department of Computing accepted at STOC 2026
The Department is pleased to share that two papers from our research group have been accepted to the 58th Annual ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing (STOC 2026), to be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, in June 2026. STOC is the premier international venue for theoretical computer science.
New AI method helps human operators regain control of vehicles after sudden disruptions
Imperial researchers have developed a fast, onboard learning system designed to help human operators quickly regain control of robots and vehicles when unexpected damage or environmental disturbances occur. Robots and autonomous vehicles are increasingly deployed beyond tightly controlled settings such as warehouses and factories.
Imperial researcher awarded Alchemy Frontier Funding to develop explainable AI for pharmaceutical manufacturing
An Alchemy Frontier Fund project involving Imperial College London will develop explainable, argumentative AI agents that combine reinforcement learning and expert knowledge, supporting human decision making in complex pharmaceutical manufacturing and chemical process development contexts.
AI models may retain and expose sensitive personal data despite industry safeguards, study finds
Imperial researchers find that standard industry safeguards fail to prevent AI models from retaining sensitive information. New research from Imperial College London suggests that common data-processing safeguards used in training AI models do not reliably prevent the memorisation of sensitive information, even when exact duplicates have been removed from training data. The AI industry has long acknowledged that language models can memorise fragments of their training data.
Papers from the Department of Computing accepted at ICLR 2026
Members of the Department of Computing are among the authors of papers accepted to ICLR 2026, a major global venue for advances in representation learning and deep learning, to be held 23–27 April 2026 in Rio de Janeiro. We are pleased to announce that papers co-authored by members of the Department of Computing have been accepted to the International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR 2026), held 23–27 April 2026 at the Riocentro Convention and Event Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Papers from the Department of Computing accepted to International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems
The Department of Computing will be represented at AAMAS 2026 with several co-authored papers. The conference, held in Paphos, Cyprus from 25–29 May 2026, is a leading venue for research on autonomous agents and multiagent systems. We are pleased to announce that multiple papers co-authored by members of the Department of Computing have been accepted to the 25th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS 2026), which will be held 25–29 May 2026 in Paphos, Cyprus.
Imperial engineers awarded grants to develop commercial and societal research
Imperial researchers from have each been awarded a lump sum of €150,000 as part of the ERC Proof of Concept Grant scheme. The grants provide support for previous and current ERC grantees who want to explore the commercial or societal potential of their work. Decoding nerve signals to control assistive devices Professor Dario Farina from our Department of Bioengineering leads the AxonCtrl project.
Imperial hosts global student innovators at Students Using Learning Analytics Joint Conference
Imperial College London welcomed student innovators and education leaders from the UK and Singapore to the Students Using Learning Analytics Joint Conference on 11 December 2025 at its South Kensington campus. Co-hosted with Nanyang Technological University, the event highlighted Imperial’s leadership in learning analytics and international education partnerships.
Imperial, Cambridge and Oxford launch QRT Labs for multidisciplinary research
Three top universities are behind an effort to boost the UK's fintech sector through foundation AI models and agentic systems alongside high-performance computing, cybersecurity, hardware design and advanced mathematical modelling.
Dr Azalea Raad receives Suffrage Science Award in Maths and Computing
Dr Azalea Raad has been awarded a Suffrage Science Award in Maths and Computing, recognising her contributions to the field and her role in advancing women’s visibility and leadership in science. The Suffrage Science Awards celebrate pioneering women scientists, with the 2026 round focusing on Maths and Computing. Ten awardees were recognised at a ceremony held on Monday 26 January 2026 in the Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, located in the University Science Area.
IC Hack 26: The students inventing the future
More than 800 students, volunteers and sponsors gathered at Imperial College London’s South Kensington Campus from 31 January to 1 February 2026 for IC Hack 26, the UK’s largest student-run hackathon. Now in its 14th year, IC Hack welcomed around 600 student participants from across the UK and Europe for 24 hours of intensive collaboration and competition.
Emeritus professor Jeff Kramer selected for the international 2026 IEEE TCSE Lifetime Achievement Award
Emeritus Professor Jeff Kramer has been recognised by the IEEE Computer Society for a lifetime of influence on the software engineering field, reflecting decades of impact across research excellence, academic leadership, and the advancement of professional practice worldwide.
Papers from the Department of Computing accepted at AAAI 2026
We are pleased to announce that multiple papers co-authored by members of the Department of Computing were accepted to the 40th AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI-26). AAAI promotes research in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and fosters scientific exchange between researchers, practitioners, scientists, students, and engineers across AI and its affiliated disciplines.
Imperial’s Race Equality Network Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Imperial As One (IAO) marked its 20th anniversary with a celebration at Imperial’s White City campus on Friday 11 July 2025, bringing together current and former members, allies, and friends of the network. The afternoon opened with reflections from Executive Sponsor Professor Mary Ryan, followed by a panel with founding members Rudy Page, Mark Richards, and Sunday Popo-Ola, who spoke about the origins of the network in 2005.
New study finds hidden body fat is linked to faster heart ageing
Ageing is the biggest risk factor for heart disease, but why some people age faster than others isn’t fully understood. The scientists leading the research say that visceral body fat could play an important role in accelerating ageing of the heart and blood vessels. This type of fat is known to be harmful to health and this study now links it to faster ageing.
Imperial launches Functional Genomics Network to advance translational research
The event brought together researchers, clinicians, and academics from across Imperial College London and its partner institutions for an afternoon of talks, discussion, and networking. The Network was created to address a major challenge in modern biomedical research: translating genomic data into meaningful clinical outcomes. A key bottleneck is the functional validation of potential disease-causing variants.
Championing artificial intelligence for health innovation in Zimbabwe
Organised by Dr Felicity Fitzgerald from Imperial’s Department of Infectious Disease, this high-impact three-day workshop was funded by the Wellcome Trust and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and was hosted by the University of Zimbabwe in Harare. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming global health research and holds great promise for societal impact in Zimbabwe and across Africa.
Pioneering paper lays groundwork for smarter, connected biofoundries worldwide
The global bioeconomy, driven by technological advancements in biotechnology, is growing rapidly and has the potential to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. These efforts include making food production more sustainable, developing new drugs and bio-based therapies, and shifting from petrochemicals to more sustainable methods for manufacturing chemicals and materials. Engineering biology is a core technology that is accelerating this growth.
Imperial neurology teacher becomes youngest recipient of prestigious award
Dr Stefano Sandrone, from the Department of Brain Sciences at Imperial College London, has been recognised for his excellence in teaching neurology and neuroscience. He was awarded the Distinguished Neurology Teacher Award by the American Neurological Association (ANA), the world's largest and oldest professional society of academic neurologists and neuroscientists (since 1875). He becomes the youngest recipient and the first European to win this prestigious award.
Dr Stefano Sandrone receives the A.B. Baker Teacher Recognition Award
Dr Stefano Sandrone, from the Department of Brain Sciences at Imperial College London, has been recognised for his exceptional teaching abilities for the second time in four years. He was awarded the prestigious A.B. Baker Teacher Recognition Award by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), the world's largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals. The AAN award acknowledges educators who have made significant contributions to advancing the field of neurology education.
Royal Albert Hall celebrations for Imperial Medicine graduates and award-winners
Wednesday 8 May was a special day for over 800 postgraduate students from the Faculty of Medicine, who received their degrees, cheered on by guests. Professor Deborah Ashby, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, said: “Our new graduates have worked long and hard for this distinction and join the ranks of distinguished Faculty of Medicine alumni who are a source of great pride and admiration to us all.
8 Inspiring women who work in infection
By Natasha Khaleeq, Ruth Ntumba and Meesha Patel A note on the use of language in this article: While in this article we refer to women, we recognise that some transgender men, gender-diverse people, and people who are intersex may be affected by some of the same issues. The use of the term “women” in this article is not intended to exclude other groups or overlook the challenges they face.
Shining a light on Imperial's insights and innovations on World Cancer Day
The onset of cancer occurs when abnormal cells undergo uncontrolled division, leading to the formation of a growth known as a tumour. The initial site where cancer originates is referred to as the primary tumour. In some instances, cancer can spread to other areas of the body, resulting in the formation of a secondary tumour or metastasis. The impact of cancer and its treatments extends to various body systems, including blood circulation, lymphatic and immune systems, and the hormone system.
Meet the team leading the charge against cervical cancer
Every day in the UK, two women lose their lives to cervical cancer, and nine more receive a life-changing diagnosis. Although NHS England has pledged to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040, the urgency to achieve this goal sooner has never been more critical. To raise awareness around Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, we are shining a light on the important work being done in Professor Maria Kyrgiou’s group, based in the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction.
Know Your Numbers! Week: Exploring the silent threat of high blood pressure
This week is Know Your Numbers! Week, the UK’s biggest blood pressure testing and awareness event. Organised by Blood Pressure UK, their primary objective is to decrease the nation’s blood pressure to reduce death and disability from stroke and heart disease. In the UK, over half of all strokes and heart attacks are caused by high blood pressure (or hypertension), making it a significant health concern. Nevertheless, almost one-third of UK adults are oblivious to their hypertensive condition.
Celebrating Imperial's French connections on Bastille Day
To mark Bastille Day, we interviewed some of our French academics to learn about their journeys moving abroad and working at Imperial. France's National Day 'La Fête Nationale', known as Bastille Day in English, is the annual celebration of the storming of the Bastille in 1789, a pivotal moment of the French Revolution. To mark this day, we spoke to some of our Faculty of Medicine's French academics about their experiences of moving to London and working at Imperial.
Understanding E coli’s evolution could lead to treatments for serious infections
New research shows how targeting the bacterium’s protective capsule, which is linked to its virulence, could help treat bloodstream infections. A multi-centre team led by the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Imperial College London, the University of Oslo and UCL, has for the first time mapped the evolutionary timeline and population distribution of Escherichia coli’s (E. coli) protective outer capsule, which is responsible for the bacterium’s virulence—or the severity of disease it causes.
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