Queen Mary University CIO on embedding sustainability into computing
Image:
l to r Penny Horwood, Rachel Bence
Queen Mary University CIO Rachel Bence reveals how sustainable computing, cloud transformation, and AI experimentation are reshaping higher education at QMUL
By reusing the waste heat from a high-performance computing cluster to heat water in a hall of residence, and sourcing datacentre power from waste energy in another location, Queen Mary University London has become a case study in sustainable computing and district heating systems.
Rachel Bence, CIO at Queen Mary explains how this approach not only reduces costs and carbon emissions but also reflects the university’s commitment to social mobility and responsibility – values that shape its technology choices as much as its teaching and research.
The episode also delves into the realities of modern IT leadership in higher education: balancing cyber security with academic freedom, managing legacy systems, and building a digitally fluent culture. Rachel discusses the university’s cloud-first transformation, its changing working environment and its early experiments with AI-driven automation and virtual assistants.
Rachel also offers her perspective on leadership, how she acts as a translator of technology for the university’s stakeholders and how she supports staff morale and makes sure that the feel acknowledged and appreciated.
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