Professor Samia Nefti-Meziani is director of robotics at the University of Birmingham and chair in robotics and AI. She is an internationally leading expert with 25 years of experience and a well-established track record in robotics, intelligent automation and AI. She has recently been awarded an Order of the British Empire for services to Robotics. She has developed practical cross-sectorial robotics technologies through numerous commercial and research projects, funded by the EU, EPSRC, RE, Innovate UK, RGF and ERDF, and has pioneered the use of robotics and autonomous systems in many sectors including food, agriculture, nuclear, transport, aerospace and healthcare. Prof. Nefti-Meziani is a co-founder of the National Robotics Network, which includes industry end-users and academic members and she is serving as a government advisory board member for the Robotics Growth Partnership.