Together We Take Ideas Further, Faster.

Tim is a technology investor, commercialization executive, and research leader with more than 25 years of experience converting scientific discovery and intellectual property into investable companies, strategic partnerships, and realized value. He has established more than 50 technology startups, negotiated portfolio-company exits exceeding £500million, IPO experienced and led or secured more than £1billion in research and innovation investment. Tim brings an investor’s discipline to opportunity selection, capital formation, portfolio governance, growth strategy, and exit execution.

Tim serves concurrently as Chief Executive of Innovation Ulster Ltd and Director of Research & Innovation at Ulster University. Trusted by founders, institutional leaders, investors, Government Ministers, and multinational partners to align capital, technology and talent to deliver both financial returns and measurable economic and societal impact.

Elaine is Chief Strategy and Finance Officer at Ulster University, where she leads the strategic management of the University's financial, physical and digital resources. A member of the Executive Team, she has responsibility for Finance, Estate Services, Digital Services, Risk & Resilience, Business Intelligence and Strategic Planning.

A Chartered Accountant, Elaine has almost 30 years' experience in senior leadership roles within large, complex organisations, including as Chief Operating Officer at Belfast Metropolitan College and a Director at Deloitte. She brings extensive expertise in strategy, finance, governance, transformation and stakeholder engagement, with significant Board-level experience and a strong commitment to public service.

Liam is currently the PVC Research at Ulster University. He obtained MEng and PhD degrees in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the Queen’s University, Belfast.  He joined Ulster University as a lecturer in 1994 and became a Professor of Computational Intelligence in 2007. Liam was Executive Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment from 2016, until his appointment as PVC Research in 2021.

Liam is the University representative on 3 of the 4 City/Growth Deal Executive Boards in NI and is a member of the Matrix Panel.  He also Chairs the Board of Innovation Ulster Ltd. (IUL) which is the wholly owned knowledge and technology venturing company of Ulster University. He is also a board member of C-TRIC, the Clinical Translational Research & Innovation Centre based on the Altnagelvin Hospital site.

Professor James McLaughlin is Director and co-founder of Ulster University’s Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC) and currently leads the £43 million Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology (CDHT). A Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Physics and the Irish Academy of Engineering, he was awarded an OBE for services to research and economic development and a CBE in 2022 for services to research and education.

An internationally recognised researcher, Professor McLaughlin’s work focuses on digital healthcare technologies, combining advanced sensing systems, artificial intelligence and clinical decision-support tools to improve patient care. His research spans nanotechnology, photonic and electrochemical sensors, edge-AI enabled diagnostics, cardiac point-of-care technologies and medical device innovation.

He has co-founded several successful spin-out companies, including Intelesens and SiSaf, helping translate cutting-edge research into commercial and healthcare impact. With an H-index of 53, more than 400 publications and 35 patents, he has secured over £100 million in competitive research funding from organisations including EPSRC, Wellcome Trust, Innovate UK and the European Union.

His leadership has been instrumental in establishing major research centres and initiatives, including NIBEC and the City Deal Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology, positioning Northern Ireland as a leader in digital health innovation and advanced healthcare technologies.

Kristel Miller is a Professor of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development at Ulster University. Her expertise intersects the fields of innovation, entrepreneurship, strategy and regional competitiveness.

Kristel was appointed as a Commissioner to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland for a three-year term beginning on 1 September 2026.

Kristel’s research has attracted over £5 million of research funding to date working with businesses, community and voluntary sector and policy makers. She is the principal investigator of a £4.8 million UKRI funded Local Policy Innovation Partnership EPIC Futures NI, which seeks to provide an evidence base for policy and programmes relating to helping individuals access fair and inclusive employment across Northern Ireland.

Kristel has published widely in internationally renowned journals, and is a regular speaker at international conferences and event. She is an expert reviewer for the ESRC and also engaged with SMEs to help them grow their business.