Fellowship for University of Leicester scientist to support smart data for urban analytics

A University of Leicester scientist has received national funding to develop ‘digital fingerprints’ of local communities to help future planning.

Smart Data Research UK (SDR UK) is funding 15 new Fellowships which address some of the UK’s most pressing challenges, from combating AI-generated misinformation to forecasting demand for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. 

The Fellowship projects, each worth up to £200,000, cover SDR UK’s four research themes: productivity and prosperity, health and wellbeing, digital society, and sustainability. All projects will start in February 2026 and run for 18 months.  

Dr Stef De Sabbata at the University of Leicester will integrate smart data on population, health, housing, mobility, and the economy into a population dynamics foundation model capable of generating general-purpose, rich and concise digital fingerprints. The foundation model will help local authorities and businesses analyse change, plan services, and anticipate future demand. Stef will be working with the Geographic Data Service (GeoDS).

Dr De Sabbata’s research focuses on Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI). Her primary research interests lie in representation learning and foundation models, developing deep neural networks for urban analytics, including geodemographic classification and the study of urban form and function. Moreover, her recent work includes geospatial approaches to AI safety and mechanistic interpretability, exploring how large language models "think" about geographic information, and applications in cultural analytics. 

She is an Associate Professor of Geographical Information Science at the School of Geography, Geology and the Environment and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Digital Culture.

Dr Stef De Sabbata said: “I am deeply honoured to receive this fellowship and to contribute to the Smart Data Research UK community. 

“During this fellowship, I will combine smart data and geospatial artificial intelligence to create comprehensive ‘digital fingerprints’ of our neighbourhoods. These will help researchers, policymakers, businesses and the public better understand the geographies of our communities and plan more effectively for the future. 

“It is a privilege to have the support to collaborate with partners, including the Geographic Data Service, the Leicester City Council and The Audience Agency, a long-standing partner of the Institute for Digital Culture, to build open tools that will empower researchers and the broader public alike.”

The 15 Fellows will join SDR UK’s growing community of researchers, including accelerators and Masters students. They will be supported by SDR UK through their national data services, collaborative opportunities, and a platform to influence policy and practice.  

Joe Cuddeford, Director of Smart Data Research UK, said: “Smart data is a valuable UK asset that remains underused for public good. These Fellowships support researchers who can turn that potential into practical impact – from earlier health interventions to fairer energy transitions and action to reduce cost-of-living pressures. 

“We are proud to support a cohort that demonstrates how responsible data use can advance knowledge, drive growth, and improve lives.”  

SDR UK is the only UK organisation making the full breadth of smart data safely accessible to the UK research community. It has established a family of new data services based at UK universities and research organisations that manage datasets and provide secure access. Many of these Fellowships will work with and through these data services, using smart data that wouldn’t otherwise be available for research to improve lives, communities, and the environment.