The London Hopper Colloquium welcomed early career researchers, academics and industry guests to GSA Capital's London office. BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) were also event partners.
Open to everyone, the day centred on women and those identifying as women in computer science. It showcased the impact of women in technology and raised the visibility of their research.
It was also a forum for learning about advances in computer science and sharing ideas, and an opportunity for networking. The highlight was the Research Spotlight competition, which was open to female Master's and PhD students.
The trailblazer Grace Hopper
The event pays homage to Grace Hopper, mathematician, computer scientist, and US Navy rear admiral. Hopper made exceptional contributions to the field of computer science.
She introduced the idea of compilers and human-friendly programming languages, then helped to develop the first compiler and the language COBOL.
The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in the US brings together thousands of women in technology.
Inspirational talks
The day was co-chaired by Dr David Khabie-Zeitoune, CEO of GSA Capital, and Professor Mehrnoosh Sadrzadeh, RAEng Research Chair and Professor of Computer Science at UCL. It featured broad-ranging, thought-provoking talks.
- Neeraja Bhamidipati, a quantitative researcher at GSA Capital, provided an insight into systematic trading and the nuances of executing the perfect trade.
- UCL Professor Jiahua (Java) Xu offered career advice. Java posed the question: should researchers follow the trends of the moment or pursue fundamental, curiosity-led research?
- Distinguished Professor of Security Bhavani Thuraisingham from the University of Texas at Dallas and King's College London shared her research. Focusing on transportation systems, Bhavani's work takes place at the intersection of AI, cybersecurity, and policy. She is a fellow of multiple organisations, including BCS, the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Bhavani has received numerous awards and has been named in ACM's list of over 30 women who changed computer science forever.
- As the winner of the 2024 London Hopper Research Spotlight, Hannah Janmohamed earned a speaking slot this year. Hannah, a third-year PhD student at Imperial College London, demonstrated why and how her lab is striving to make AI more diverse. Potential applications include personalised medicines and video games that deliver a new experience every time you play.
Research Spotlight
In a fun and friendly competition, 14 female Master's and PhD students each had four minutes to present their research. AI was a popular theme, especially projects that advance or improve AI. However, applications were diverse, spanning healthcare, archaeology, wildlife conservation and finance.
Rachael Laidlaw from the University of Bristol won the top prize.
I really enjoyed the challenge of presenting my research in just four minutes - it encouraged me to hone in on the core aim of my work and consider how I could communicate that clearly and concisely. The event brought together so many amazing people with such interesting research avenues who I wouldn't usually have had the opportunity to meet. Everyone was so supportive and I'm very grateful for the whole experience!
Sabrina Aufiero and Clea Dronne, both of UCL, were joint runners-up.
Being named this year's Spotlight runner-up is a true honour. It was exciting and energising to present my work and share perspectives and ideas with such a vibrant group of women in computing. I have no doubt that the connections I formed will result in great collaboration.
I was very grateful to be awarded the runner-up prize! It was very inspiring to hear about the research of other women computer science researchers from across the country. The spotlight talks were very diverse, and it was very interesting to hear about the many applications of AI that are being investigated.
Arpita Saggar of the University of Leeds won the People's Choice Prize.
I'm delighted to have won the People's Choice Prize. The colloquium was a wonderful platform to engage with the inspiring work being done by brilliant researchers across the country.
Championing inclusion in computer science
The EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion) Shorts section spotlighted resources for women in computer science.
- Professor Louise Brown of BCS Women signposted the support available for women from the professional body for IT. Louise also talked about careers in research software engineering.
- Dr Daniela Tresoldi outlined EPSRC's EDI action plan. She pointed out the significance of EDI not only for gender and ethnic minorities but for everyone. Daniela made connections with Hannah Janmohamad's talk about diversity and and discussed how we can achieve this.
- Professor Caroline Wardle of UCL explained the Athena Swan framework, which recognises excellence in advancing gender equality within higher education. UCL Computer Science remains the only computer science department in the UK to have achieved a Gold award.
Building tomorrow's computer science sector
David Khabie-Zeitoune of GSA Capital neatly summed up the event:
It was a great honour to host UCL's 19th London Hopper Colloquium at GSA's London office this year. Events like this push back against the outdated image of computer science, traditionally a very male-dominated field. Visibility and recognition matter, and celebrating the work of female researchers today helps shape the world we want to see tomorrow.
Professor Mehrnoosh Sadrzadeh from UCL Computer Science said:
It has been an honour to organise the London Hopper year after year and witness how the community has grown: the younger generation are becoming ever more confident and innovative in their thinking.
We have an amazing team of people and so much support, from UCL and outside UCL, such as BCS, EPSRC and companies, including CISCO. GSA Captial were an absolute pleasure to work with.
Thank you to our sponsors, GSA Capital, BCS, and EPSRC. Thank you also to the organisers.
From UCL: Professor Mehrnoosh Sadrzadeh, Dr Elaine Pimentel, Kiran Ahmed, Taznim Aktar Nisha, Vanessa Hanschke and Anthi Papouli. From GSA: David Khabie-Zeitoune, Mylena Sigalou, and Samah Shahed.
We're looking forward to the London Hopper Colloquium 2026, which will mark a milestone year, the 20th London Hopper.
