Katie Atkinson | Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Sustainability Research
University of Liverpool

Professor Katie Atkinson is Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Sustainability Research at the University of Liverpool. Katie is known internationally for her foundational and interdisciplinary research contributions on artificial intelligence over the past 20 years, with her key areas of research being in the fields of computational models of argument and AI & Law. As Professor of Computer Science, she has published over one hundred and fifty articles in peer-reviewed conference proceedings and journals, and has also applied her work in a variety of industrial projects. Her current research is focussed on explainable AI and interdisciplinary applications of this. Katie is a member of the leadership team for the UKRI-funded £12M AIchemy hub, supporting adoption of AI for chemistry across the UK. She serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal Artificial Intelligence and Law, and since 2020 she has been a member of the Lawtech UK Panel, a government-backed initiative to help transform the UK legal sector through technology. In 2024 she was appointed to the Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board (AIAB) for the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ). Her current role at the University of Liverpool is focussed on setting up and leading the University's newly-established Interdisciplinary Centre for Sustainability Research.