The University of Buckingham has welcomed Professor Lynette Ryals OBE as its new Vice-Chancellor.

Speaking as she begins her appointment, Professor Ryals said:

“It is a privilege to join The University of Buckingham as your new Vice-Chancellor.

As I begin this role, I am excited to join a University with a proud history, a distinctive identity and a reputation for doing things differently. Buckingham has always been characterised by academic excellence and a willingness to innovate.

There are countless examples of how the University has genuinely changed lives, thanks to its inherently independent spirit and a focus on delivering an outstanding student experience.

Throughout my career, I have been passionate about the transformative power of education and the opportunities it creates for individuals, organisations and society. That belief makes it a privilege to join Buckingham at such an important moment in our journey as we conclude our 50th anniversary year, and take our next steps.

What has already struck me is the commitment of our staff, the achievements of our students, the loyalty of our alumni, and the support of our partners. Together, these strengths give us the confidence, capability and momentum to realise our ambitions for the future.

Since my appointment as Vice-Chancellor was announced, I have been overwhelmed by the warm welcome I have received. I am committed to being a tireless ambassador for the University and for a community defined by purpose and a determination to make a positive difference.

Over the coming months, I look forward to collaborating with staff, students, alumni and supporters, celebrating our successes, and realising our ambitions as we write the next chapter of our story together.”

Professor Lynette Ryals OBE joins The University of Buckingham from Cranfield University, where she served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor. She also previously held the role of Dean of Cranfield School of Management.

Her academic background is in sales and customer management. An alumna of Oxford University, where she gained a BA and MA, Professor Ryals subsequently completed an MBA in Buckingham with International Management Centres (Europe) and earned a PhD from Cranfield University.

Professor Ryals is a Fellow of the Society of Investment Professionals, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

In 2019, she was awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours for services to higher education.

Alongside her academic work, Professor Ryals serves as a Non-Executive Director of East West Rail and is a Trustee of The Stables, Milton Keynes, supporting its concerts, events, music education programmes and biennial International Festival. She is an enthusiast for live music of all kinds and attends as many gigs and concerts as she can.

For all press enquiries, email: pressoffice@buckingham.ac.uk

The University of Buckingham welcomed local sixth-form students to its annual TechFest event on 17 September, offering an exciting day of hands-on computing experiences, industry insights, and an introduction to university-level study.

The School of Computing at The University of Buckingham welcomed local sixth-form students to TechFest 2026, an immersive day of hands-on computing activities, industry insights and career exploration designed to bring the School’s vision of “fostering skills and innovations in digital technologies for an inclusive and sustainable future” to life.

Students from local schools experienced the exciting worlds of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics and virtual reality through a programme of workshops, demonstrations and discussions led by academic staff and current students. The University’s School of Computing designed this event to showcase the opportunities available in technology and computing-related careers.

The programme featured interactive sessions in ethical hacking and robotics, a keynote presentation by Dr Madara Premawardhna exploring emerging trends in artificial intelligence and digital twins , opportunities to meet current Computing students, and demonstrations of some of the University’s most innovative technologies, including the Birdly virtual flying simulator and Spot, the University’s robotic dog.

The event received enthusiastic feedback from visiting schools. Trudy Sinacore, Careers Manager at a visiting school, thanked the University for hosting the event, commenting that students enjoyed both the day and the variety of sessions available. She also praised Professor Harin Sellahewa and the Computing team for delivering engaging talks and activities.

Further positive feedback came from Denise Williams, who reported that students had been discussing the experience with their peers after returning to school. She noted that one Year 13 student had expressed a genuine interest in exploring the University further as a future study destination. She also shared photographs of the robotics demonstrations with members of her school’s Robotics Club, who were “beyond impressed” by the projects showcased by Buckingham students and were keen to strengthen links with the University in the future.

Professor Harin Sellahewa, Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Law and Psychology, said:

“TechFest is designed to give young people an opportunity to experience computing in a practical and engaging way, while helping them understand the exciting possibilities that exist within technology careers. It was fantastic to welcome students from local schools and see their enthusiasm and curiosity to learn.”

Throughout the day, students were encouraged to think not only about the technologies shaping the future, but also about how those technologies can be used responsibly to create positive social impact. The event reflected the School of Computing’s commitment to fostering innovation, developing digital skills and inspiring young people to become part of a more inclusive and sustainable technological future.

The overwhelmingly positive feedback from teachers and students demonstrates the value of bringing education and industry-focused experiences together. By introducing young people to emerging technologies and showcasing the opportunities available through higher education, TechFest 2026 successfully delivered on its mission of fostering skills and innovations in digital technologies for an inclusive and sustainable future, while inspiring the next generation of computing professionals.

The University of Buckingham has been ranked the number one university in the country for Artificial Intelligence education in the 2027 Unifresher rankings.

Unifresher are the UK’s student-focused university rankings platform. The Unifresher Rankings assess 95 degree subjects across eight student-focused metrics: teaching quality, student satisfaction, graduate earnings, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life, and sustainability. The methodology is built to reflect students’ own experiences during their degree, therefore offering prospective students a clearer, more practical picture of university life.

The University of Buckingham’s first-place ranking reflects strong performance across the following metrics:

• 97% academic support
• 81% student satisfaction
• 99% teaching
• 100 safety index
• 66 cost index
• 68 social life index

Professor Harin Sellahewa, Dean of Faculty of Computing, Law and Psychology at The University of Buckingham commented:

“Artificial intelligence is advancing at an extraordinary pace, and we are delighted to be ranked number on in the UK AI education. This result reflects our commitment to excellence in teaching, academic support, student experience, and our future-focused curriculum designed to meet industry requirements in the age of AI.

While much attention is rightly focused on AI technology, our greatest responsibility is ensuring that people have the knowledge, skills and judgment to develop and use it wisely. Education will be central to that challenge. By developing AI literacy, critical thinking and an understanding of ethics and governance, we can help ensure that future generations are equipped to thrive in an AI-enabled world, and to shape it in ways that deliver lasting benefits for society.”

The full subject rankings, including the complete methodology and metric breakdown, are available on the Unifresher website.

We also rank first for graduate prospects (2027 South East England Complete University Guide), first in Computing for Graduate Prospects (Complete University Guide 2027), first for student support (2027 South East England WhatUni student awards), and first for lecturers and teaching (2025 WhatUni student awards).

Find out more!

Delve into everything Computing at Buckingham at our next open day!

See our offering on our AI course pages:

• BSc (Hons) Computing (Artificial Intelligence and Robotics)
• BSc (Hons) Computing (Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing)

The University of Buckingham Law School was delighted to host LawFest 2026, welcoming students from surrounding schools for a dynamic and engaging introduction to careers in law.

The event brought together students, legal professionals, academics, and support teams for a day of networking, panel discussions, breakout sessions, and opportunities to learn more about the legal profession. Attendees had the chance to hear directly from industry representatives, gain insights into career pathways, and explore the diverse opportunities available within the legal sector.

We were pleased to welcome representatives from several leading law organisations, including: Dentons, Travers Smith, BP Collins, Osborne Morris & Morgan, Inner Temple, Milton Keynes City council, Machins, Elite Law Solicitors, and House Rules.

The event commenced with a welcome address from the Vice Chancellor, David Cole, delivered during the University’s 50th anniversary year. Reflecting on the University’s history as a pioneer of the 2-year accelerated degree programme, David noted that the students attending LawFest were themselves pioneers, standing on the threshold of their own professional journeys and future careers.

Interactive breakout sessions with Travers Smith delivered by Maninda Singh and Ellie Watson explored the different routes into the legal profession, including the key differences between training contracts and solicitor apprenticeships. Students were also given practical guidance on how to research law firms effectively, supported by a useful template and research guide to help them evaluate potential employers and career opportunities.

Hannah Binymin of House Rules delivered an insightful presentation highlighting the role it plays within the inhouse legal sector. Students learned about the differences between working in-house and as a private client lawyer, gaining a clearer understanding of the opportunities available within each career path. The session was brought to life using podcast clips and interactive discussion, helping students engage with real experiences.

A co-hosted breakout session led by Tasmyn Brittlebank, Partner at Dentons, alongside Laura Everitt, Director and Head of MLRO, Kalim Akhtar, Solicitor, and Anna-Marie Spears, Paralegal from Elite Law Solicitors presented an engaging breakout session where students explored frequently asked questions about both firms, common myths surrounding careers in law, and the wide range of pathways into the profession.

In the Vinson Foyer students had the opportunity to network with lawyers, HR professionals, trainee solicitors and paralegals and gather valuable career advice.

LawFest continues to be a tremendous success, with students demonstrating exceptional enthusiasm and engagement throughout the day. Feedback from attendees and stakeholders has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the value of connecting students with professionals from across the legal industry.

A special thank you goes to all our visiting law firms, speakers, volunteers, first aiders, facilities teams, and University staff who contributed their time and expertise to make the event possible. Your support ensured that LawFest ran smoothly and provided an inspiring experience for everyone involved.

We look forward to building on this success and welcoming even more students and legal professionals to future LawFest events.

Residents from Clarendon House, Buckingham, visited The University of Buckingham’s School of Computing last month to learn about some of the latest advances in robotics and immersive technology.

The visit was organised by Psychology undergraduate student Sina Zadeh, who also works at Clarendon House. Working with the School of Computing and the Faculty Registrar, Sina arranged a day of learning, discovery and social engagement for the residents.

A highlight of the visit was seeing our Boston Dynamics Spot robot in action. Residents were fascinated by Spot’s mobility and capabilities, asking questions about how it is used in practice. Staff explained how Spot is deployed for inspections and in hazardous environments, helping organisations carry out tasks in areas that may be unsafe for people. The group also saw Birdly, our virtual flying machine. While the residents were unable to experience Birdly themselves, they watched with interest as their carers enjoyed the virtual flying experience, gaining a unique insight into the immersive technology.

The visit also created opportunities for residents to share stories from their careers and reflected on how technology had changed throughout their lifetimes, creating a valuable exchange of experiences and perspectives with Computing staff.

Sina welcomed the opportunity, saying:

“The visit provided the residents with an opportunity to learn about new technology, explore different experiences, and spend an enjoyable day outside the care home. They were very interested in the demonstrations and enjoyed seeing how technology is developing and being used in everyday life”.

The School of Computing was delighted to welcome the group and looks forward to further opportunities to engage with the local community, inspiring curiosity and fostering meaningful connections across generations.

On 21 August 2026, the School of Computing welcomed Dr Wenge Xu, Senior Lecturer in Human-Computer Interaction at Birmingham City University, for a seminar exploring how immersive technologies can be designed to be more accessible and deliver meaningful real-world impact.

Dr Xu presented his ongoing research in accessible interaction, mixed reality (combining augmented reality – AR and virtual reality – VR), and real-world simulation, with a significant emphasis on designing technology around diverse user needs.

Dr Xu discussed research into how sign language interpreters can be rendered effectively in VR, where users can move freely and look around a 360-degree environment. The work considered both the positioning of interpreters, ways of directing users towards the person currently speaking thereby improving awareness of the physical surroundings and introducing familiar people into virtual environments to support users who may otherwise feel uncomfortable or disorientated.

Dr Xu also discussed hands-free interaction in VR, particularly for users who may find conventional controllers difficult or impossible to operate. The research presented explored alternative interaction methods including head movement and intentional eye blinking, demonstrating how interaction methods can be reconsidered and redesigned around different capabilities and needs of different users.

On health and wellbeing, Dr Xu explored the relationship between games and physical and mental health. He highlighted studies comparing VR games with traditional displays, including their potential to encourage physical activity and provide engaging experiences. Dr Xu also presented research investigating regular VR gaming and virtual pet therapy for disabled people. Initial results indicate that the experiences have the potential to reduce depression and improve mental health.

The seminar then demonstrated how VR can support research into autonomous vehicles and the experiences of deaf and hard-of-hearing pedestrians. Simulated road-crossing studies highlighted the importance of involving disabled people directly in design and evaluation, including understanding how combinations of visual and auditory information may support communication between pedestrians and autonomous vehicles.

These themes have a direct connection with our User Experience Design module, where understanding users and creating accessible, effective and inclusive interactions are important considerations. The seminar provided practical research examples of how user experience principles can extend beyond conventional interfaces into emerging immersive environments.

The visit also builds on an existing academic relationship, with Dr Xu having previously served as an external examiner for one of our MSc research students. The seminar therefore provided a valuable platform for sharing expertise while opening conversations around future research and academic collaboration.
Thanks to Dr Noman Hanoosh and Professor Harin Sellahewa for supporting this guest seminar.

We are delighted to share that Dr Philip Obiorah (Learning Development Coach in Computing) has officially been accepted into the Google Developer Experts Programme as a Google Developer Expert (GDE) in Cloud AI.

The GDE programme is a global network of professionals recognised by Google for their technical expertise and significant contributions to the developer community through speaking, publishing, mentoring and knowledge sharing.

Dr Obiorah’s profile is now live in the official Google Developer Experts Directory.

Reflecting on the recognition, Dr Obiorah said:

“I look forward to using this opportunity to further support AI education, knowledge exchange and external engagement within the University and the wider developer community.”

We are proud to support staff development and celebrate their successes. This recognition is a great example of how our colleagues stay connected to industry and bring current professional practice into the Faculty.