Bill Gates visits Queen Mary to meet the leaders of tomorrow

Image of Bill Gates, Colin Bailey and Chie Adachi in front of students

Queen Mary University and the Gates Foundation have complementary aims. In a world where inequalities are increasing and global challenges disproportionately punish communities already struggling, Queen Mary University uniquely combines world-leading research, education and public engagement with an unrivalled 240-year commitment to social mobility and social justice in order to tackle these issues. This ethos aligns closely with that of the Gates Foundation, whose mission is to create a world where every person has the opportunity to live a healthy, productive life.

Similarly, the University’s track record of educating the global leaders of tomorrow aligns with the Gates Foundation mission to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others.

Speaking on his visit, Gates said: “It’s energising to spend time with students who are curious about how AI will change education, work, and health.

“I was impressed to learn how Queen Mary is organised around AI. It’s not just the mathematicians or computer scientists who are working on it. It’s the entire university. That will be incredibly powerful for students as they take on the tough challenges we’ll face in this AI transition.”

Professor Colin Bailey CBE, President of Queen Mary University, said: “As President of Queen Mary University, I was very proud to introduce our students and academics to Mr Bill Gates. Bill chose to visit our University because of our fantastic students, because of what we stand for at Queen Mary University, and because of the progress we make to transform lives through our excellent research and education.

“We are ranked 32^nd in the world for research quality, 15^th in the world for international outlook and 25^th in the world for research collaboration. Our research is improving lives locally, nationally and internationally and our global alumni community are leaders in their areas of expertise.”

The key component of Gates visit was a student questions and answers panel hosted by Professor Chie Adachi, Dean for Digital Education in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and Interim Academic Director for the Centre for AI in Education.

During the panel, which was attended by 200 students in the University’s historic Octagon and watched live online by over 1,000 students and staff, Gates answered some fantastic questions posed by Queen Mary students, on topics ranging from life lessons and leadership, to the impact of AI on education, work, healthcare and more.

Read more: 

• Sign up to hear more from Queen Mary University of London
• Queen Mary celebrates new cohort of international scholars
• Foundation programme welcomes more than 950 students thanks to exceptional teamwork across Science and Engineering
• Queen Mary’s excellence in knowledge exchange recognised
• Queen Mary welcomes Professor Sir Ian Chapman to Whitechapel campus
• Queen Mary’s excellence recognised in latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings