Best Practices in AI Afternoon 2

11 November 2025 - 12:00-17:00

Design Studio 01 (D05), Pam Liversidge Building, Broad Lane, S1 3JD

Various, RSE, CMI

All of our events may be recorded and shared via the University of Sheffield Kaltura platform so those who cannot attend may still benefit. We will consider your attendance implicit consent to this.

Overview

We are excited to present the Best Practices in AI Afternoon 2 which will be held on the 11th of November, 12-5pm at Design Studio 01 (D05), Pam Liversidge Building, Broad Lane, S1 3JD.

The afternoon will consist of talks and walkthroughs on best practices for research, design, development, and deployment of AI. It will focus on practical aspects such as tooling, optimisation, profiling, tips and tricks to supercharge AI in your research!

Buffet lunch and coffee will be provided.

This event is held in collaboration between the Research Software Engineering (RSE) group and the Centre for Machine Intelligence (CMI) in the University of Sheffield, and the N8 CIR.

Register to attend in-person or remotely

Agenda

12:00-12:05

Welcome

12:05-13:00

Community lightning talk & Networking Lunch

Speakers from the community

Lightning talks from members of the community followed by buffet lunch, soft drinks and coffee.

13:00-14:00

Talk by Nvidia (Title TBC)

Overview of the current AI landscape and deep dive into a topic (TBC).

14:00-14:30

Responsible use of (Generative) AI in research and innovation

Denis Newman-Griffis

The general-purpose use of AI technologies in research and innovation is rapidly evolving. The University of Sheffield has recently developed a set of Principles for Using GenAI in Research and Innovation, which aim to provide a starting point for students and staff at the university exploring the use of GenAI in their own research. This talk will outline the thinking behind the University Principles and how they might be applied in research practice, and will highlight current developments around AI use in the wider national and international research systems.

14:30-15:00

Creating your own agent with LangChain

Shaun Donnelly

A walkthrough covering how to create an agent, equip it with tools, and demonstrate their use, including multiple tool interactions. The session also explains how the agent decides which tools to use and when, illustrating the decision-making process behind effective tool-driven agents.

15:00-15:15

Coffee break

15:15-15:45

Table talks (topic TBC)

15:45-16:15

Talk 3 (TBC)

16:15-16:45

Talk 4 (TBC)

16:45-17:00

Wrap-up and feedbacks

Speaker Profiles

Denis Newman-Griffis, Senior Lecturer, University of Sheffield

Denis Newman-Griffis (they/them) is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Computer Science and Theme Lead for AI-Enabled Research in the University of Sheffield’s Centre for Machine Intelligence. Their award-winning work investigates the responsible use of AI for human flourishing, including pioneering work on responsible AI in research funding and assessment, ethical practice for AI in policy and public services, and critical perspectives on AI for health and disability. Denis is a British Academy Innovation Fellow and a former Research Fellow of the Research on Research Institute.

Shaun Donnelly, Research Software Engineer, University of Sheffield

Shaun is a research software engineer at the University of Sheffield with a background in astrochemistry and AI-driven computational chemistry. Since joining the RSE team in December 2024, he’s been exploring how large language models can transform research workflows, from Retrieval Augmented Generation to tool-driven Agentic AI. He’s particularly interested in exploring how to make research software more accessible by the use of natural language as an interface between researchers, their software and their research workflows.

Registration

In-person spaces are limited, please register to attend!

Register to attend in-person or remotely