Tom Crick

Professor Tom Crick is Professor of Digital Policy at Swansea University, as well as Chief Scientific Adviser at the UK Government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Whilst his disciplinary background is in computer science, his research interests are naturally interdisciplinary and sit at the research-policy-practice interface, identifying and addressing domain problems with broad digital, data-driven and computational themes, and especially focusing on the impact on citizens, culture and the economy.

Tom has led the major science and technology curriculum reforms in Wales over the past 10 years, and has recently driven the development of Swansea University’s civic mission strategy. He was an inaugural Commissioner of the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales from 2018-2022, as well as a member of the expert panel for the Welsh Government’s 2019 Review of Digital Innovation for the Economy and the Future of Work in Wales. Alongside his academic work, Tom has held senior advisory roles with Nesta, Ofcom, British Science Association, and BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, as well as non-executive roles in the utilities, engineering/manufacturing, and health and social care sectors.

He is a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales and the Academy of Social Sciences, as well as a Chartered Fellow of the BCS and IET. He was appointed MBE in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours for “services to computer science and the promotion of computer science education”; awarded the BERA Public Engagement and Impact Award (2020) for "Leading the Future of Science and Technology Education in Wales"; awarded an IET Achievement Medal (2022) in STEM Education and Policy; awarded the Learned Society of Wales Hugh Owen Medal (2023) in recognition of significant contributions to educational research; and awarded the BCS Lovelace Medal (2023) for Computing Education.