Dr Tommaso Spinelli awarded prestigious Chancellor’s Visiting Fellowship to advance AI research and public sector impact

We are delighted to announce that Dr Tommaso Spinelli (MBA), a leading figure in the AI adoption field, is the first recipient of a prestigious Chancellor’s Visiting Fellowship. This new, highly competitive fellowship enables experienced policy professionals to work with Manchester Met researchers to maximise the real-world impact of our research.

Tommaso will work closely with the University to strengthen the connection between cutting-edge AI research and its potential application in the public sector, supporting efforts to ensure that AI innovation benefits public services and society as a whole.

Currently the Artificial Intelligence Senior Change Manager at the Government Digital Service (GDS), part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Tommaso coordinates the delivery of guidance on AI for the UK public sector. His team oversees the AI Resources for the Public Sector collection page on GOV.UK, which offers essential guidance on AI implementation and AI skills, as well as security, legal and ethical considerations to ensure the responsible use of AI technologies in government.

An experienced manager with an impressive background in digital transformation and academia, earlier this year Tommaso was awarded among the Government Transformation Top 100 managers. Tommaso has played an important role in the delivery of flagship products, including the AI Playbook for the UK Government 2025 and the AI Insights series on GOV.UK, to which Manchester Met’s Professor Keeley Crockett has contributed as academic advisor and peer-reviewer. These resources offer technical guidance on the safe and responsible use of a wide range of AI technologies, including research-based insights and best practices on AI adoption in the public sector. Tommaso is also one of the chairs and board members of the UK Government AI Community of Practice, which ensures knowledge sharing and continuous improvement across the UK public sector.

As part of his fellowship, Tommaso will conduct innovative research on methodologies and technologies that can be used to support the safe and responsible adoption of AI in the public sector, exploring how collaboration between academia and government institutions can accelerate mutual understanding and implementation of AI. Tommaso’s fellowship with MetroPolis underscores Manchester Met’s commitment to ensuring our world-class research delivers meaningful real-world impact, and to strengthening the vital bridge between government and academia.

For more information about the Chancellor’s Visiting Fellowship and Manchester Met’s policy research initiatives, please contact n.odowd@mmu.ac.uk.