2nd IMA Congress: AI Unlocked: Innovation, Insight and Impact
AI Unlocked 2026 celebrates the remarkable advances in Artificial Intelligence while recognising that mathematics remains its true foundation. From learning algorithms to predictive models, mathematics provides the structure and clarity that underpin intelligent systems.
This two-day congress will bring together the brightest minds from academia, industry, and government to explore the power, promise and purpose of artificial intelligence.
The congress, chaired by Dr. Anjulika Salhan, a global expert in AI-driven innovation and founder of Systems Holdings, will be held at the prestigious Hyatt Regency in Birmingham. We invite you to join a dynamic community of AI pioneers shaping the future of machine learning and intelligent systems.
World-class speakers from across sectors will share their research, breakthroughs, and real-world applications of AI, ranging from deep learning architectures and causal models to AI in finance, healthcare, governance, and regulation.
Key themes include:
- The evolving architecture of AI systems: transformers, GNNs, diffusion models
- The rise of foundation models, multimodal AI, and explainability
- Bridging theory and application: from generalisation and convergence to robust deployment
- Policy and ethics: AI governance, regulatory frameworks, and public-private collaboration
- What’s next? Symbolic reasoning, AI safety, causal AI, and hybrid intelligence
Invited Speakers
Dr Anjulika Salhan – CEO System Holdings & ITIXA
Dr Jeremy Budd, Assistant Professor – Birmingham University
Mrs. Sarah Coe – Collyer Bristow
Professor Chris Budd OBE – University of Bath
Professor Nira Chamberlain OBE – AtkinsRéalis
Professor Stephen Lynch – Loughborough University
Dr. David Snee – Dstl
Dr. Richard Pinch – IMA Council Member and AI SIG
Professor Marika Taylor – University of Birmingham
Dr. Richard Lane – QinetiQ
Professor Paul Roach – Loughborough University
Professor Carola Bibiane Schönlieb – University of Cambridge
Robert De la Rue - RSM
Mr. Akash Sharma – Royal Orthopaedic Hospital Birmingham
Professor James Hopgood - The University of Edinburgh
Dr Rachad Zaki - Director of Cambridge Mathematics
Organising Committee Members’ Names:
Dr. Anjulika Salhan (chair)
Rosalind Azouzi
Pam Bye
Dr. Jeremy Budd
Prof. Stephen Lynch
Dr. David Snee
With thanks to our sponsors:
Congress Sponsor
ITIXA
Awards Sponsor
SYSTEM HOLDINGS
Drinks Reception Sponsor
intellectAI
For further information, please contact:
Conferences Department: [email protected]
Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, Ground Floor Suite, 19-20 Clifftown Road, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS1 1AB
