Engineer Your Story with AI

Celebrating National Careers Week, students stepped into the roles of creative directors for the day, interviewing six clinicians and scientists from Queen Mary’s Centre for Bioengineering and translating complex research into visual stories, including visiting researchers Dr Zara Arain Sqlan, Anya MacLaren, Bianca Viljoen, Amelia Art and Natalia Munro Castro. Researchers shared insights into their work on digital twins, air pollution, menopause, preterm birth and saving babies’ lives.

Students explored questions including how researchers use AI in healthcare, what opportunities AI creates for improving patient care, the ethical questions around AI technologies, and the career journeys that led researchers into their fields.

Armed with notes and ideas from their interviews, students created prompts and used AI tools to generate headlines and text. In a hands-on photography session led by Eliška Sky, they developed mood boards, shot lists and design concepts, experimenting with lighting, colour, props and portraiture to create images that reflected the personalities and work of the researchers.

Creative technologist Hamish Clements then demonstrated how AI tools can generate infographics and visual content, helping students translate complex research insights into accessible, engaging campaign posters designed to communicate cutting-edge health research to a wider audience, across a range of live research themes:

• Cardiovascular Disease and digital twins
• Air Pollution & Pregnancy
• Organ-Chip Models
• Preterm Birth
• Menopause.

Working in creative teams, students transformed these complex research themes into visual campaign ideas designed to help other young people understand how AI is shaping the future of healthcare.
As well as exploring the positive potential of AI, students examined how these tools can spread misinformation and how biased datasets can undermine the quality of research. Through this process, students developed a more critical understanding of both AI technologies and the role creativity can play in communicating complex research responsibly.

Over the years, I have seen how technology has changed at pace, affecting our behaviour and future health. I am proud to be a part of the AI revolution — bringing multi-disciplinary fields in creativity, STEAMM and AI together, creating bold campaigns with the Ideas Foundation to change how we behave, breathe and live. I believe one day there will be health equality for all.
— Dr Tina Chowdhury, Centre for Bioengineering, Queen Mary University of London

Five exceptional practitioners brought the programme to life:

Sue Nelson | Science Journalist & Broadcaster

An award-winning broadcaster, writer and science journalist. Sue co-hosts the Space Boffins and Counting the Earth podcasts, makes short films on science, and produces and presents radio documentaries for BBC World Service.

Greg Hodgson | Creative Tech Expert

Founder of Edge Gain and an Adobe partner, Greg uses cutting-edge tools to enhance creative work for research and professional practice, helping students unlock the power of AI in their own storytelling.

Eliška Sky | Photographer & Filmmaker

A contemporary Czech photographer and filmmaker based in London. Her bold, vivid work has taken her from National Theatre Prague to Dubai Expo 2020. Her Womaneroes series was featured in the British Journal of Photography.

Hamish Clements | AI Creative Director

Founder of Creative Futures Lab and a creative working with global brands, Hamish guided students in using AI image and video tools, showing how technology and imagination combine to produce compelling visual campaigns.

Heather MacRae | Creative Education Consultant

Founder of Venture Thinking, and until recently CEO of Ideas Foundation, Heather brings together experts to create and deliver innovative education workshops. Heather has a long standing connection with QMUL where she is an Honorary Fellow.