Public Lecture by Alex van Someren

Alex van Someren will host a lecture titled 'National Security and Innovation: how can academia contribute?'

Overview

The role of academia in science and innovation, and the resulting contribution to economic growth, is already well established. The current geopolitical environment suggests that academic innovation now has a even larger role to play in National Security and Defence, and the venture capital market is tracking this with significant investment money. How can students, faculty and institutions all support this trend, and what happens if they don't want to be part of it? We will talk about what scientists and engineers can, should, and might choose not to do, to help keep their country safe.

Alex van Someren

Alex van Someren is a British engineer and cybersecurity expert who has been a key figure in the UK's technology sector, in venture capital and most recently in national security. He co-founded several technology companies, two of which became public through IPOs on the London Stock Exchange, ANT Software plc and nCipher plc, both later acquired.

Alex served as a Managing Partner at venture capital firm Amadeus Capital Partners from 2010 to 2021, focusing on early-stage investments in ‘deep technology’ across the UK and Europe.

In 2021, he was appointed as the UK's Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security, providing independent scientific advice to the UK Intelligence Agencies and to wider UK government. During this period, he also served as a consultant to the €1 Billion NATO Innovation Fund.

Alex is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and an Honorary Professor of Computer Science at the University of Manchester. He was previously the Clore Innovation Professor at the Royal College of Art.