Oxford Computer Science contributes to UK-wide AI and bioscience training initiative
Posted: 16th December 2025
Professors Michael Bronstein and Blanca Rodriguez will lead a project as part of Oxford’s contribution to a flagship doctoral training programme awarded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), with Professor David Gavaghan serving as a co-lead.
The programme will build UK capacity in AI, data science and biosciences, helping to address national skills gaps and drive innovation across health, agriculture and biotechnology.
About the project
ENAIBLE (Enabling Next-generation AI for a Bioscience-Led Economy)
ENAIBLE is a new national initiative tackling a critical UK skills gap: developing advanced AI and data-science capacity for the £100 billion bioscience sector.
The UK urgently needs researchers fluent in both bioscience and the mathematical and computational foundations of next-generation AI, capable of applying these technologies responsibly to the complex, data-rich biological systems that underpin our health, food, and environment.
Led by the University of Oxford, ENAIBLE will train three cohorts of exceptional PhD students across a national consortium of world-leading universities and research institutes including the University of Birmingham, Aberystwyth University, and The Francis Crick Institute. Together, the consortium will pioneer responsible, interdisciplinary AI research across five strategic themes: AI Foundations, Rules of Life, Healthy Ageing, Vaccines, and Crops.
Doctoral students will gain technical mastery in AI and data, as well as strong groundings in bioethics, innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry collaboration, ensuring they are equipped to become future leaders in AI-driven biosciences. They will be equipped to advance fields such as AI-driven drug discovery, personalised medicine, vaccine development, crop resilience, optimising food production, and developing sustainable industrial processes.
ENAIBLE will help shape a new generation of researchers and innovators ready to lead ‘Biology 2.0’ in the age of AI. Our partnership brings together world-class expertise, facilities, and real-world applications and data to create a truly transformative environment where doctoral students can push the boundaries of AI-enabled bioscience, and acquire the skills, mind-set, and ethical grounding to use these tools responsibly for global benefit. Professor Michael Bronstein
The Oxford researchers leading the programme are Michael Bronstein, DeepMind Professor of Artificial Intelligence, Blanca Rodriguez, Professor of Computational Medicine, Mark Coles, Professor of Immunology, Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, NDORMS; and Ruth Baker, Professor of Applied Mathematics, Mathematical Institute.
The Oxford co-leads are Angeliki Kerasidou, Associate Professor in Bioethics, Nuffield Department of Population Health; and David Gavaghan, Professor of Computational Biology, Department of Computer Science.
ENAIBLE will be delivered in partnership with Peter Tino, Professor of Complex and Adaptive Systems, School of Computer Science, and Thomas Jackson, Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Biology of Ageing, Department of Inflammation and Ageing at the University of Birmingham; Iain Donnison, Professor and Head of Department, Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University; and Jean-Baptiste Cazier, Head of Bioinformatics & Biostatistics, and Data Science Strategy, at The Francis Crick Institute.