The British Science Association has today (Wednesday 17 June 2026) announced Regius Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton, Dame Wendy Hall, as its new President for 2026-27.

Dame Wendy takes over from 2025-26 President, engineer and Crossbench Member of the House of Lords, Julia Elizabeth King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge.

Dame Wendy Hall DBE FRS FREng FCGI is an expert in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI policy, among other areas of web and data science. She was one of the first computer scientists to undertake serious research in multimedia and hypermedia (interactive multimedia), and has been at its forefront ever since.

The influence of her work has been significant in many areas including digital libraries, the development of the internet, and the emerging research discipline of Web Science. 

At the University of Southampton, Dame Wendy is Associate Vice President (International Engagement) and Director of the Web Science Institute.

She became a Dame Commander of the British Empire in the 2009 UK New Year's Honours list and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in the same year. Dame Wendy is a Fellow, and former President, of the Association for Computing Machinery, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and a distinguished fellow of the British Computer Society.

In 2017, Dame Wendy was co-Chair of the UK government’s AI Review, which was published in October 2017. She is an advisor to the UK government and other governments and companies around the world, and in 2023 was appointed to the United Nations high-level advisory body on AI.

Her latest book, Four Internets, co-written with Kieron O’Hara was published in 2021, and is about data, geopolitics and the governance of cyberspace. 

In 2026 her new book AI Explained: A Guide for Non-Technical Readers, will help people understand how artificial intelligence actually works, from first principles to the generative model.

Dame Wendy will deliver her Presidential Address, a conversation with BBC Technology Editor Zoe Kleinman about the future of AI - at this year’s British Science Festival, which is organised by the British Science Association and hosted by the University of Southampton.

Dame Wendy Hall says:

“I am thrilled to have been invited to serve as Honorary President of the British Science Association from September 2026, especially as this coincides with the annual British Science Festival being held at Southampton.

“I have long been an admirer of the work the British Science Association does to promote science in the UK and around the world. I will be able to use the platform to talk about the increased need for education in Artificial Intelligence and Web Science.

“I am excited to be part of this journey in the coming year and to follow in the footsteps of the distinguished past Presidents.”

The British Science Association’s Chair of Council Hilary Newiss says:

“The warmest of welcomes to Dame Wendy Hall, our incoming President for 2026-27.

"Dame Wendy’s distinguished and prolific career at the forefront of AI and web science research has shattered glass ceilings for women in science and technology and inspired so many of those who have had the privilege of working with or being taught by her.

"She has spent her career campaigning for a better gender balance in technology, recognising and campaigning for more women working within the teams which design and develop the technologies that impact all of our lives. An education leader and an authoritative voice in computer science across national media, Wendy is a wonderful fit for the British Science Association Presidency, as the charity continues working toward a future where science is more relevant, representative, and connected to society.”

The role of President is a year-long, honorary appointment which begins in September, coinciding with the annual British Science Festival. The President works with the British Science Association’s Chief Executive, Senior Management Team and Council to use their platform, driving the Association’s mission to make science more relevant, representative and connected to society.

Past Presidents include Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, Professor Alice Roberts, Professor Dame Athene Donald, Professor Dame Uta Frith, Lord Browne of Madingley, Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell-Burnell and Sir David Attenborough.