Neil Lawrence
Birth nameNeil David Lawrence
FieldsMachine learning
Gaussian processes[1]
Workplaces
Alma mater
Thesis urlhttps://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.621104
Thesis year2000
Doctoral advisorChristopher Bishop

Neil David Lawrence is the DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge in the Department of Computer Science and Technology,[2] Chief Scientist at Trent AI, senior AI fellow at the Alan Turing Institute and visiting professor at the University of Sheffield.[3]

Education

Lawrence obtained a Bachelors in Engineering degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Southampton, and a PhD from the University of Cambridge, with a thesis on variational inference in probabilistic models, supervised by Christopher Bishop.[4]

Career and research

Lawrence spent a year at Microsoft Research before serving as a senior lecturer in machine learning and computational biology at the University of Sheffield for six years. From 2007 to 2010, Lawrence was research fellow at the University of Manchester's Department of Computer Science, returning to the University of Sheffield in 2010 as the collaborative chair of neuro and computer science.[5]

In 2016, he was appointed director of machine learning at Amazon in Cambridge, where he collaborated with Ralf Herbrich, who became director of machine learning at Amazon in Berlin.[6]

Upon his appointment as the inaugural DeepMind Professor Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge in September 2019, Ann Copestake stated Lawrence's addition would have a "transformative effect".[7]

Lawrence co-founded Trent AI in 2025 with a mission to reimagine security and safety of systems in the AI age. He serves as its Chief Scientist.[8]

Ambassadorship

Lawrence has advocated for data transparency and privacy, writing several prominent articles in The Guardian discussing issues ranging from the privacy implications of Machine Learning algorithms deployed on citizens,[9][10][11][12][13][excessive citations] the current "state of the art" in the field,[14] the importance of data-sharing[15][16] and academic transparency,[17] to the possibilities for Machine Learning to advance developing nations such as African nations.[18] These efforts have been called "commendable" by Demis Hassabis.[19]

He was solicited for his opinion on the absence of Machine Learning algorithms during the COVID-19 pandemic, to which he stated

"This is showing what bulls—t most AI hype is. It's great and it will be useful one day but it's not surprising in a pandemic that we fall back on tried and tested techniques."[20]

Lawrence has hosted a podcast with Katherine Gorman called Talking Machines between 2014 and 2021.[21]

In 2025 he was a guest on the BBC Radio 4 programme The Life Scientific.[22]

References

  1. ^
  2. ^ "Cambridge appoints first DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning". cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge. 18 September 2019.
  3. ^
  4. ^ Lawrence, Neil David (2000). "Variational Inference in Probabilistic Models" (PhD). thelawrences.net. University of Cambridge. OCLC 894596569. Archived 2003-04-18 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ^ "Prof. Neil Lawrence". shef.ac.uk. University of Sheffield. 15 August 2022. Archived 2017-06-12 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ^ Monica Nickelsburg (2 September 2016). "Amazon beefs up machine learning presence in UK with new team of researchers". GeekWire
  7. ^ Tony Quested (18 September 2019). "Amazon ML ace spearheads historic DeepMind Cambridge venture". Business Weekly.
  8. ^ Griffiths, Sarah (10 January 2026). "Solving Security Problems With AI And Experience". Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  9. ^ Neil Lawrence (5 March 2015). "Beware the rise of the Digital Oligarchy". The Guardian
  10. ^ Neil Lawrence (2 April 2015). "Let's learn the rules of the digital road before talking about a web Magna Carta". theguardian.com. The Guardian.
  11. ^ Neil Lawrence (12 June 2015). "How to prevent creeping artificial intelligence from becoming creepy". The Guardian
  12. ^ Neil Lawrence (23 July 2015). "The data-driven economy will help marketers exploit us". The Guardian
  13. ^ Neil Lawrence (16 November 2015). "The information barons threaten our privacy and our autonomy". The Guardian
  14. ^ Neil Lawrence (28 January 2016). "Google AI versus the GO Grandmaster--who is the real winner?". The Guardian
  15. ^ Neil Lawrence (5 May 2016). "Google's NHS deal does not bode well for the future of data-sharing". The Guardian
  16. ^ Neil Lawrence (3 June 2016). "Data trusts could allay our privacy fears". The Guardian
  17. ^ Neil Lawrence (29 May 2018). "Why thousands of AI researchers are boycotting the new Nature journal". The Guardian
  18. ^ Neil Lawrence (25 August 2015). "How Africa can benefit from the Data Revolution". The Guardian
  19. ^ Oscar Williams (19 September 2019). "Amazon ML Chief departs to take up DeepMind professorship at Cambridge". New Statesman
  20. ^ Sam Shead (29 April 2020). "A.I. can't solve this: The coronavirus could be highlighting just how overhyped the industry is". CNBC
  21. ^ "Talking Machines"
  22. ^ "Taking down the 'digital oligarchy' and why we shouldn't fear AI"