Martin Hayes is Professor of Digital Technologies at the University of Limerick (UL). He is academic lead for the ‘UL@Work’ Human Capital Initiative (HCI) Pillar 3 project and is also a member of the successful Cyberskills and REEdI consortia. Together these projects have secured €23 million in HCI funds to enable UL deliver enhanced workplace-based digital and AI learning opportunities for full time and part time professional students. He is director of UL’s novel Master of Professional Practice programme which gives students the ability to design the master’s qualification that is tailored to their specific workplace needs.

Martin is a thought leader in relation to the future of Higher Education in a Digital world and, as UL Lead on a number of successful Digital Europe projects in collaboration with Skillnet Ireland and multiple European partners, he has led the development of a variety of new trans-European interdisciplinary upskilling programmes that have AI and Digital Technologies at their core.

Previously, Martin was head of UL’s Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, from 2017 to 2021. His Research interests are in Systems Theory for Machine Learning and AI, focusing on human centred performance in safety critical environments.