Alison Noble CBE FRS FREng FIET FWES CEng DPhil (Oxon) MA

Professor Alison Noble CBE FRS FREng FIET is currently the Technikos Professor of Biomedical Engineering in Department of Engineering Science and a Professorial Fellow of St Hilda’s College, at the University of Oxford, UK. She is a former Director of the Oxford Institute of Biomedical Engineering (2012-16).

Professor Noble’s research interests sit at the interface of AI with computer vision and clinical medicine. In recent years, her research group has been at the forefront of international thinking on how to bring machine learning to ultrasound working closely with clinical research groups in Oxford and overseas. This includes global health ultrasound applications research with groups in India and Africa, and pioneering research on multi-modal ultrasound and sonography data science. In 2016, she was the recipient of a 7-year ERC Advanced Grant entitled “Perception Ultrasound by Learning Sonographer Experience (PULSE)”, to advance understanding of how to develop next-generation ultrasound systems by utilising machine learning. In 2023, she was the recipient of a 5-year UKRI Turing AI World-leading Researcher Fellowship on human-AI collaboration and federated learning for international research partnerships in healthcare imaging. She has attracted international awards and distinctions including the BMVA Distinguished Researcher award (2022), the Royal Society Gabor Medal (2019), the MICCAI Society Enduring Impact Award (2019), and the International Federation of Medical & Biological Engineering Laura Bassi Award (2015) in recognition of her contributions to biomedical engineering.

Professor Noble has a strong and sustained track record of service to the academic and engineering community at a national and international level, particularly in research and innovation in healthcare technologies. She received an OBE for services to Science and Engineering in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2013. She was also appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to Engineering and Biomedical Imaging in the King’s Birthday Honours list in 2023.

From 2013-16, she served as the President of the MICCAI Society. She served as a Trustee of the IET from 2016-19 and as a Vice President (2019). She served as chair of the EPSRC Healthcare Technologies Strategic Advisory Team from 2017-19 and is a current member of the EPSRC Science, Engineering and Technology Board. She was a member of REF 2021 Subpanel 12 (Engineering) 2018-22. She is currently a Vice President and a Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society.

At a regional level, Professor Noble is currently a Trustee of The Oxford Trust, which promotes enterprise as well as communication of SET to schools and the public in the Oxfordshire region.

Professor Noble has combined academic research with innovation throughout her career. She was a co-founder, director and senior consultant to her laboratory spinout Intelligent Ultrasound Ltd, which became the Clinical AI division of MedaPhor PLC (subsequently renamed Intelligent Ultrasound PLC) which in turn was sold to GE Healthcare in 2024.

• Biomedical imaging and image analysis
• Machine learning applied to healthcare
• Ultrasound image analysis
• Human-AI collaboration
• Federated analysis
• Point-of-care ultrasound
• Global health technologies

Professor Noble's collaborators and research partners include:

• Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford
• Visual Geometry Group, University of Oxford
• OxSTaR (Oxford Simulation, Teaching and Research), University of Oxford
• Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, India
• PRECISE Network supported by GCRF

Additionally, her group has research projects funded by the following major research centres:

• NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre – Professor Noble is co-lead of the Imaging Theme.
• Hong Kong Centre for Cerebro-cardiovascular Health Engineering (COCHE) – Professor Noble is a co-director and theme lead.

For more information about Professor Noble’s research see here.

National and International Roles

• International Society Leadership International Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Interventions (MICCAI) Society: Served for 10 years on MICCAI Society Board: Society President (2013-16).

National Academy/Institution Leadership and Trusteeships

• Royal Society: Vice President & Foreign Secretary (2023-), Trustee (2022-).
• Health Data Research UK: Trustee (2024-).
• Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET): Trustee (2016-19), Vice President (2019).
• The Oxford Trust (Trustee, 2015-current).

National Academy Committees

• Royal Society
  • Council, 2022-, Member. International Committee, 2024-, Co-Chair. Science Policy Committee, 2021-, Member.
  • Industry Fellowship Joint Panel, 2019-2023, Chair. Sectional Committee 4 (2018) and 0 (2019-20), Member. Newton International Fellowships Committee, 2014-19, Member. Research Grants Panel, 2009-12, Member.
• Royal Academy of Engineering
  • Enterprise Committee, 2013-22, Founding Member. External Affairs Committee, 2013-15, Member.
  • Awards Committee, 2009-12, Member.

National Academy Science Policy Working Groups

• Royal Society: AI in Science Working Group (Chair, 2022-24, policy report). Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) Policy Working Group, Chair for two data policy reports (2019, 2023).
• Royal Academy of Engineering, Engineering Biology Steering Group (policy report, 2019).

National Assessment Panels

• REF2021, Sub-panel 12 (Engineering), 2018-22, Member.

National and International Prize Committees

• Schmidt Science Fellowships Final Selection, 2022-current, Panel Member.
• Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the United Kingdom, 2020, Jury Member.
• Queen Elizabeth Prize in Engineering, Search and Nominations Group, 2016-18, Member.

UKRI Committees and Panels

• EPSRC: SETB, 2022-current, Member. Healthcare Technology Strategic Advisory Team, 2017-19, Chair; 2014-19, Member.
• Medical Research Council: Translational Research Group (TRG), 2014-19, Member. Stratified Medicine Group, 2016-19, Member. Reports to TRG. Innovate UK/MRC Biomedical Catalyst MAC Panel, 2014-16, Member. Confidence in Concept Panel, 2012-14, Member.

National Panels and Advisories – Other

• Office for National Statistics, Integrated Data Programme Advisory Group, Member, 2021-current.
• Government Blackett Review Panel, Member, 2016-17.

• Fellow of the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association (2024)
• Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to Engineering and Biomedical Imaging in the King’s Birthday Honours list (2023)
• Distinguished Fellow of the British Machine Vision Association (2022)
• European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems Fellow (2021)
• Gabor Medal, Royal Society (2019)
• MICCAI Society Enduring Impact Award (2019)
• Fellow of the Royal Society (2017)
• Honorary Fellow of St Hugh’s College, Oxford (2017)
• Honorary Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford (2016)
• Laura Bassi Award, International Federation of Medical & Biological Engineering (2015)
• Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Science and Engineering in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list (2013)
• Fellow of the Women’s Engineering Society (2013)
• Fellow of the Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention (MICCAI) Society (2012) Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (2008) Fellow of the Institute of Engineering Technology (IET) (2000)

Enquiries from potential postgraduate research students who have interests in any of my research areas are welcome.