Innovation and Impact

Our researchers are making life-changing discoveries, developing new innovations and technologies and solving the world’s complex challenges. Working collaboratively with partners locally and globally, we are working at the frontiers of knowledge on research with real impact.

REF2021 - voice technology

The rise and impact of voice recognition technology

In 2018, Sheffield launched the Centre for Speech and Language Technology, a joint research centre with VoiceBase, a major US provider of voice data analytics services to companies operating large call centres.

Bringing a competitive edge

REF2021-online-abuse

Truth and trust: combating disinformation and abuse on social media

Sheffield’s big data analytics has probed the veracity, sentiment and sharing patterns of social media posts and exposed the ways in which social media can be used and abused to shape opinions about significant political and societal events.

Fighting against the misuse of social media

Close up image of a bee

Bees are helping design the next generation of autonomous technology

Companies around the world are attempting to master autonomous technology through artificial intelligence and deep learning. But nature has already solved it with its vast array of insects and birds seen operating autonomously throughout the natural world. University of Sheffield company, Opteran, has extracted exactly how nature has achieved this through 600 million years of evolution. Now, they’re using it to change the face of autonomous technology.

Next generation of autonomous technology