AIRON

Artificial intelligence is changing research operations quickly, but the biggest challenge is no longer simply understanding the technology. It is learning how to apply it well, in real teams, real workflows, and real institutional settings.

This is why we created the AIRO Leads Program.

The program supports professionals who want to move beyond awareness and start leading responsible AI adoption in research operations. It is designed for people working across research management, governance, libraries, digital innovation, strategy, and wider research support who are beginning to ask practical questions: where can AI add value, what should be automated, what requires human judgement, and how can change be introduced responsibly?

The first cohort launched in November 2025 and brought together 10 participants from different countries. Over the course of the program, participants worked on practical use cases, governance questions, implementation planning, and stakeholder engagement. The aim was not only to learn about AI, but to build confidence and create something useful to take back into their organisations.

Now we are developing the next part of that journey: the AIRO Leads Alumni Network.

The Alumni Network will give graduates of the program a dedicated space to continue learning, exchange experience, and stay connected with peers who are working through similar challenges. It will support members as they move from program participation into implementation, reflection, and longer-term leadership.

The network will include peer exchange, guest sessions, shared resources, practical discussions, and opportunities for alumni to showcase what they are building or learning in their own institutions. It will also help us bring more real examples into the AIRON community, so that we can learn not only from expert talks and tools, but also from the practical work happening across organisations.

🎥 Meet Diar Amin

I am very pleased to introduce Diar Amin as the AIRO Leads Alumni Network Coordinator.

In this short video, Diar shares his background and his vision for the network, including the importance of creating a space that is active, useful, and grounded in real practice.

Diar will help shape the network as a place for meaningful professional connection. His focus will be on supporting practical exchange, encouraging alumni to share their experiences, and creating opportunities for members to continue learning from one another.

What I especially value in Diar’s approach is the emphasis on keeping the network human. AI adoption can often feel technical, fast-moving, and sometimes overwhelming. But at the centre of this work are people: people making decisions, asking questions, managing risk, supporting colleagues, and trying to make responsible choices in complex environments.

That is why this network matters.

It will help alumni stay connected as they continue this work in their own organisations, and it will strengthen AIRON’s wider role as a community where research supporting professionals can learn with and from each other.

The next AIRO Leads cohort is currently in preparation. Places will be limited so that participants can work closely together, receive feedback, and make meaningful progress on their own projects.

If you are working in research operations and want to move from AI awareness to practical implementation, we warmly invite you to join the waitlist.

Join the AIRO Leads waitlist:

Expression of Interest Form: AI in Research Operations (AIRO) Lead Program

AIRON is growing because people are willing to share, test, reflect, and build together. The AIRO Leads Alumni Network is another step in that direction, and I am very excited to see how this community develops.