The degree was conferred on 2 July 2025, recognising his world-leading contributions to data-driven science and engineering.
A Leading Figure in Data-Centric Engineering
Girolami holds the Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in Data‑Centric Engineering and serves as Chief Scientist at the Alan Turing Institute, the UK’s national institute for data science and AI. He is also a Fellow of Christ’s College, Cambridge, and was awarded the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award in 2012.
Recognition from the University of Glasgow
In his oration, Professor Chris Peace, Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor of Glasgow, praised Girolami as: “An inspirational engineer and scientist whose world‑leading research has significantly advanced data‑driven science and engineering, alongside his invaluable leadership in the fast‑evolving domains of data science and AI.”
Career Spanning Leading UK Institutions
Girolami’s career includes senior roles at University of Glasgow, UCL, and Imperial College London, before taking up his current position at Cambridge in 2019. He also served as an executive director at the Alan Turing Institute, establishing the Lloyd’s Register Foundation Programme on Data‑Centric Engineering.
Impact of Research and Innovation
His interdisciplinary work combines applied mathematics, statistical science, computing, and engineering, addressing real-world challenges in data-centric infrastructure. His team focuses on applications such as self‑sensing railway bridges and safer engineering systems enabled by AI and big data.
Girolami’s accolades include election as Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Royal Academy of Engineering, and in 2023 he received the Guy Medal in Silver from the Royal Statistical Society.
