- How York St John London shapes the next generation of tech talent
York St John University London’s Computer Science and Data Science Department is building something that London’s technology sector genuinely needs: graduates who are technically capable, ethically aware, and professionally ready, drawn from the full breadth of the communities the capital serves. The team behind the department has created an environment where academic standards and real-world relevance are not in tension but in productive partnership.
With three BCS-accredited programmes, an expanding portfolio of specialist pathways in applied AI, cybersecurity, and digital transformation, and a diverse student community of more than 400 learners representing over ten countries since the launch of York St John University London Campus 6 years ago, the department continues to demonstrate its commitment to future-focused computing education. Rather than simply preparing students for the careers that exist today, the department equips graduates with the knowledge, skills, and adaptability needed to thrive in emerging roles and industries that are yet to be defined.
York St John University’s London Campus, situated in Canary Wharf at the center of the UK’s thriving FinTech and technology corridor, is home to a Computer Science and Data Science Department whose reputation is built on a clear proposition: applied, industry-informed education delivered by academics who have worked at the highest levels of both industry and research. The department offers three BCS-accredited programmes, the MSc Computer Science, the MSc Data Science, and the BSc (Hons) Computing for Industry each designed around real employer needs, authentic assessments, and the professional tools students will use from day one in their careers.
Four academics who help shape the department’s identity share their perspectives here. Together, they bring decades of combined experience across AI research, data science, wireless communications, software engineering, and higher-education leadership and together, they represent a team that is international in background, inclusive by design, and purposeful in everything it does.
Following are excerpts of the interviews:
Dr Nalinda Somasiri BEng(Hons), MSc, PhD, MIET, SMIEEE, SFHEA
Associate Dean and Associate Professor in Generative AI and Machine Learning
Originally from Sri Lanka, Dr Somasiri brings more than 20 years of experience across AI, machine learning, blockchain, and generative AI, including senior roles at Motorola Solutions, Jaguar Land Rover, and MBDA in the UK defense sector.
Dr Somasiri, who holds a PhD in Electronic Engineering from Queen Mary University of London and who has published more than 80 peer-reviewed papers in AI and machine learning, leads the AI for Climate and Disaster Resilience Research Group (AICDRG).
What makes York St John London’s Computer Science provision distinctive?
Our strength is that we are deeply applied. We design programmes around real employer needs, live tools, and authentic assessments, so students are not just learning theory, they are learning how to solve problems in professional settings. That ethos is reflected in the department’s curriculum, which spans cloud computing and cybersecurity, embedded systems and IoT, user-centered agile development, and applied machine learning. Students work with Azure Virtual Machines, Python, TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch, Scikit-learn, Wireshark, and Kali Linux, the same tools they will encounter in professional roles. The department also works closely with industry partners. Sri Lanka showed me that access to quality computing education can change lives. That conviction shapes everything we do here.
How do you balance academic standards with industry relevance?
We do both by design. Our programmes are aligned with BCS professional standards, supporting graduate pathways to Chartered IT Professional (CITP) and Incorporated Engineer (IEng) status. At the same time, modules are reviewed against live job-market skills every semester, and our curriculum is shaped by BCS and IEEE special interest groups. The result is that students graduate with both the credential and the competence
How do placements and authentic assessment prepare students for professional life?
The MSc Computer Science/Data Science with professional experience is one of the most powerful things we offer. The programme places students with vetted employers for six to twelve months, with a tripartite agreement signed by student, employer, and university. Students complete a real-time project in addition to pre-placement CV workshops and interview preparation, are visited by the team during their placement, and submit a credit-bearing reflective report on return. The department’s commitment to graduate outcomes was underscored in 2024 when one of our MSc Computer Science student won the ASET Student Competition in the Postgraduate category.
What are the department’s ambitions for growth and future programmes?
We are building for the next decade of the digital economy. Two new postgraduate programmes are currently in development: the MSc Applied AI and Cybersecurity, the MSc AI and Digital Transformation. GenAI is reshaping every industry. We want our graduates to be the people leading that transformation, not just responding to it.
Swathi Ganesan SFHEA Deputy Associate Dean and Programme Director for MSc Data Science
From India Swathi Ganesan transitioned from a career in the IT industry, bringing deep expertise in software design, development, testing, and quality assurance into the heart of her academic leadership. As Programme Director for the MSc Data Science, she oversees a curriculum designed to reflect the diversity of the data and the communities it represents. The department’s student body spans more than ten nationalities, and its enhanced induction programme is specifically designed to help students from varied educational and cultural backgrounds feel orientated and ready to succeed. As a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), member of IEEE, the Senior Academic Leadership Team (SALT) member and School Quality Panel (SQP), Ganesan ensures that inclusive, evidence-informed teaching practices are embedded across all programmes. Ganesan brings direct research experience to the question of how data science should be taught responsibly.
How does the department embed diversity, inclusion, and belonging?
For us, inclusion is not an add-on. It is part of how we teach, support, and design the student experience from day one.
How are students from different backgrounds supported to succeed?
We have built visible, accessible support into the academic journey at every stage. That means academic skills workshops, wellbeing drop-ins, formative assessment checkpoints throughout each module, and a Student Hub that students can walk into without an appointment. The department also makes use of student voice mechanisms to ensure that student experience informs ongoing enhancement. Attendance is monitored with early alerts sent to the programme director when concerns arise, and a portfolio performance and engagement dashboard is updated each semester to track progression and attainment at cohort level.
What role does inclusive curriculum design play in data science teaching?
Data science is only as good as the questions it asks. If the people designing those questions all come from the same background, you get blind spots in your data, your models, and your conclusions. As a PhD researcher specialising in AI, machine learning, and deep learning applied to challenges in the medical domain, an area where algorithmic bias can have life-altering consequences.
What would you say to students who feel unsure whether they belong in tech?
Tech needs more voices, more perspectives, and more creativity. The most innovative teams are diverse teams. If you are curious and willing to learn, you belong here. We will give you the skills, the support, and the community to get there.
Sangita Pokhrel FHEA Lecturer, Module Director, and Research Group Lead at Paragon Research and Innovation Group in London
Originally from Nepal Sangita Pokhrel brings an infectious enthusiasm for making data science tangible, equitable, and connected to real-world impact. Growing up in Nepal, she saw firsthand how data when used well can help address genuine challenges in public health, infrastructure, and community development. That conviction drives her teaching. As Research Group Lead at the Paragon Research and Innovation Group in London, Pokhrel also ensures that her own active research and her professional network feeds directly back into the student experience.
How do you make data science and computing practical and engaging?
We try to make every module feel connected to the real world. Students work with authentic industry datasets, tackle realistic computing scenarios, and present their findings in ways that mirror professional practice. Seminar tasks are built around real data; project modules require students to apply computing to problems with genuine stakes. I want students to see data science not as an abstract discipline but as a tool for understanding and improving the world.
What kinds of projects and activities help students build confidence?
Confidence is built through experience, not just classroom learning. We create a culture where students regularly engage with real-world challenges through research poster showcases, hackathons, innovation sprints, technical workshops, employer talks, networking events, and our enterprise academy initiatives. Students present their work to academics, industry professionals, and employers, collaborate on live challenges, and develop solutions with real impact. Recent standout projects have included an MSc Data Science distinction-level study on OCR-based PDF keyword extraction and an MSc Computer Science project comparing RAG and LLM chatbot responses for UK student finance enquiries. When students step onto a stage, defend their ideas, and connect with industry, they stop thinking like students and start thinking like professionals. By graduation, they leave with far more than a degree, they have the confidence, professional networks, practical experience, and industry-ready skills to excel in their careers.
What skills do you see students developing most strongly?
Technical confidence, absolutely — skills in Python, machine learning tools like TensorFlow and Scikit-learn, big data engineering, cloud platforms, and statistical analysis. But the growth I find most rewarding to witness is in communication and professional identity. Employers want graduates who can explain what they have built and why it matters. By the time our students finish, they can do both.
Dr Soonleh Ling BSc, MSc, PhD, MBCS Senior Lecturer and Director of Cloud Computing and Cybersecurity, York St John London
With roots in Malaysia Dr Soonleh Ling brings over ten years of industrial experience in wireless communications, algorithm development, and simulation and modelling, alongside deep research expertise in AI, machine learning, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.
What stands out about the London campus learning environment?
The campus gives students access to one of the most vibrant technology ecosystems in the world. Canary Wharf is not just a postcode, it is a community of FinTech companies, global banks, start-ups, and digital innovators. That proximity matters because it normalises ambition. Students walk past the offices of the companies they might one day work for. The campus itself, housed on Floor 3 with modern teaching rooms and computing labs, is designed for active, practical learning. Students have access to the Discover@YSJU platform, with over 50,000 e-books and the full IEEE, ACM, and Springer journal suites, alongside the York campus Fountains Learning Centre for 24/7 study.
How do labs, tools, and digital platforms support teaching and learning?
We invest in giving students access to the tools professionals actually use. Teaching labs are equipped with workstations, large display screens, Raspberry Pi and Arduino platforms for embedded systems and IoT teaching, and Meta Quest VR and AR headsets for enterprise and extended-reality applications. Cloud access is delivered through Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines, giving every student a consistent, managed environment whether they are on campus or studying remotely. Specialist software spans Python and JupyterNotebooks for data science, Wireshark and Kali Linux for cybersecurity, AWS and Azure for cloud engineering, Android Studio and Xcode for mobile development, and Tableau, Power BI, SQL, and R Studio for data analysis. In Malaysia, I saw how much it mattered for students to have practical access to technology, not just theoretical exposure to it. We carry that principle here.
What role does student support play in outcomes and retention?
Support is embedded at every stage, not bolted on as a rescue mechanism. The department’s enhanced induction programme, delivered across Weeks 1 and 2, covers academic writing expectations, digital tools orientation, and an introduction to professional identity and BCS membership pathways. Formative assessment checkpoints within modules mean difficulties are identified early, and attendance is monitored with early alerts sent to the programme director. Weekly wellness drop-ins and the Student Hub ensure that no student faces a barrier alone. The Academic Skills team is embedded at module level to provide targeted support precisely where it is needed.
How do guest lectures and employer engagement enhance the student journey?
They close the gap between the classroom and the workplace. The department hosts a regular guest lecture series that brings BCS members and senior industry professionals directly into module delivery. The Enterprise Academy programme adds innovation sprints, hackathons, and employer-led assessment centre-style workshops throughout the year. When a cybersecurity professional describes a live incident they managed, o a cloud architect walks students through a real deployment decision, the curriculum comes alive in a way that no textbook alone can provide.
What do you hope students take away from their experience here?
Technical skill, beyond that, a genuine professional identity and real self-belief. I want students to leave York St John London knowing they can solve hard problems, work with people from different backgrounds, and keep learning throughout their careers. Students who pursue their MBCS or work towards cloud and cybersecurity certifications alongside their degree leave with something that signals not just what they know, but who they are as professionals. If we get that right, everything else follows.
The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the interviewees, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication