Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Professor Gordon Love, Head of Computer Science at Durham, shines a light on the North’s flourishing tech sector.
When you think of North East England, you might not think of a vibrant tech sector which is forecast to grow to £2.5bn by 2020. Or somewhere that has the second highest IT and software cluster growth in the country after London.
At Durham University we are well aware of the region’s tech potential. We’ve been teaching future computer scientists for the last four decades and continue to drive real change in the North’s tech landscape.
TechUPWomen
Here at Durham, Professor of Computer Science and Technology Evangelist, Sue Black, is on a mission to achieve more diversity in our tech student population.
Together with Professor Alexandra Cristea, Sue recently launched TechUPWomen, a project to encourage more women from the North and Midlands, especially from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, to start a tech career.
Recruitment to the programme has been a roaring success and we are delighted that 54% of participants are from BAME backgrounds. We’ve really kick-started a revolution to help women here develop the knowledge and skills for a tech career.
Facilities for the future
Speaking of skills, the University plays a huge part in developing the next generation of computer scientists who can tackle big tech developments like artificial intelligence and data science.
Future students at Durham will be taught in a new £40m state-of-the-art Mathematical Sciences and Computer Science building, providing first class teaching and encouraging business collaboration through a student enterprise hub.
A lasting legacy
Our students of the past are just as important as our future students. Durham alumna Giselle Stewart OBE is Director of UK Corporate Affairs at gaming company, Ubisoft. Giselle sits on our Computer Science’s advisory board, providing industry expertise to ensure course content reflects industry needs.
From successful alumni to tomorrow’s tech stars, we’re proud to be part of the North’s vibrant tech sector.