Combining UCL’s research excellence and Amazon’s dynamic innovation methodologies and platforms, the centre’s core activity is to run a supportive and comprehensive Digital Innovation Programme.  

The programme is designed to incorporate the strengths of both organisations to accelerate innovations in Healthcare and Education. UCL and AWS will aid the development of evidence- based commercially sustainable technologies that demonstrate real-world benefit and impact. 

Centre mission statement

UCL and AWS joined forces to build innovative digital solutions to the world’s problems in healthcare and education. The UCL Centre for Digital Innovation powered by AWS will lead us to solutions that are evidence based, commercially sustainable and focus on the needs of the world’s citizens.”““UCL and AWS joined forces to build innovative digital solutions to the world’s problems in healthcare and education. The UCL Centre for Digital Innovation powered by AWS will lead us to solutions that are evidence based, commercially sustainable and focus on the needs of the world’s citizens.”“UCL and AWS joined forces to build innovative digital solutions to the world’s problems in healthcare and education. The UCL Centre for Digital Innovation powered by AWS will lead us to solutions that are evidence based, commercially sustainable and focus on the needs of the world’s citizens.”

CDI Management team 

Our leadership  

Graca Carvalho Centre Director, UCL
James Hetherington Director of ARC, UCL
Andrew Jones CDI Director of Digital Innovation, AWS
Bruno Silva CDI Chief Technology Officer, AWS
Amanda Kiely Higher Education, AWS
Naz Tuzunalper Marketing Manager, UCL

Governance structure

The CDI is governed by Steering and Experts committees. They work with the CDI Management Team to ensure delivery of the aims and objectives of the UCL Centre for Digital Innovation. This includes identifying and approving the priorities of the centre, selecting successful project proposals, tracking progress and impact and ensuring the delivery of all centre activities and events. 

In addition to those governance bodies,  a Technical Working Group (TWG) and the Innovation and Research (I&R) Ecosystem members help execute the programme vision set out by the governing bodies and bring it to life. 

Steering Committee

Steering Committee members

The UCL CDI is also grateful to the support and advice of Professor Geraint Rees, Pro-Provost Academic Planning, Professor Bryan Williams, Chair of Medicine and Professor Li Wei, Dean of the Institute of Education. 

Experts Committee

Made up of leading academics and domain experts from UCL and AWS, this committee provides substantial experience and understanding of the research and technology areas of all initiatives supported by the Centre.  

The role of the Experts Committee is to advise the Steering Committee and the Management Team on the activities of the CDI, and in particular, to recommend projects to be taken forward for impact acceleration. 

The Experts Committee can meet as a joint group, Healthcare and Education, but can also meet as separate Sub-Committees to analyse domain specific matters. 

Expert Committee members 

Innovation and Research advisors 

Innovation and Research advisors help bring the CDI vision to life by offering their relative expertise to all our members by connecting teams and prospect applicants to the centre. 

Technical Working Group 

The Technical Working Group (TWG) is composed of UCL and AWS technical leaders and specialists. The team directs   technical enablement activities for UCL CDI projects. It supports events that create awareness of the centre and promote the benefits of the engagement using technologies on the AWS cloud.   

The TWG will support the UCL CDI goal of ensuring that projects build solutions that meet their users’ needs, but also have the people, processes and technology in place to achieve the AWS Well Architected principles of Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, Cost Optimisation, and Sustainability. 

Technical Working Group (TWG) members