Drew Hemment is Professor of Data Arts and Society and Director of Festival Futures at Edinburgh Futures Institute and Edinburgh College of Art within University of Edinburgh. He is a Turing Fellow and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He leads The New Real and Experiential AI in partnership with the Alan Turing Institute and Edinburgh’s Festivals.

Over thirty years, Professor Hemment has played a leading role in the emergence of a digital culture in Europe. He has worked with cities and nations representing culture and research at the highest level, and worked for the Singapore Government on Smart Nation and Singapore’s 50th anniversary. He has a repeat track record of internationally leading and shaping research domains, including Open Data and Human-Centred Smart Cities.

In 1995, Hemment founded FutureEverything, named by The Guardian one of the top ten ideas festivals in the world. In 2016, he founded the GROW Observatory, the world’s first continental scale citizens’ observatory. He is presently working to develop a transformative research agenda for the coming decade on AI and the Arts, and to build a national capability for the UK in this highly significant area.

Hemment is a frequent public speaker and regularly appears in the media, including as an expert witness on BBC’s Moral Maze, and film critic for Afternoon Show on BBC Radio Scotland. He is a member of the Editorial Board for Leonardo and Alan Turing Institute Steering Group for Arts, Humanities, and Heritage. His work has been recognized by 14 international awards, including Soil Award 2019 (Winner), STARTS Prize 2018 (Honorary Mention), Lever Prize 2010 (Winner), and Prix Ars Electronica 2008 (Honorary Mention).