CIEH AI and Tech Conference: Empowering Efficient Services

Dr Aaron Lawson, Lecturer in Environmental Health, Ulster University Dr Aaron Lawson is a Lecturer in Environmental Health at Ulster University, based at the Belfast campus within the Belfast School of Architecture and the Built Environment. His academic background includes a B.Sc. (Hons) and a Ph.D. in Environmental Health and the Built Environment from Ulster University, along with a Diploma of Professional Practice.

Dr. Lawson's research focuses on innovative approaches to environmental health practice, such as utilising 360° technology for Environmental Health teaching assessment and training and he has also contributed to studies on public health behaviours, including hand hygiene practice and compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He is also actively involved in public engagement and professional development, having led discussions on the historical perspectives of disease and the role of environmental and public health. More recently, his research interests have focused on the use and application of Artificial Intelligence in an Environmental Health context.

Amy Douglas is a Lead Epidemiologist in the Gastrointestinal Infections, Food Safety and One Health Division at the UK Health Security Agency, formally Public Health England. Since joining the team in 2016 she has moved from a research focused role to providing scientific leadership and expertise on surveillance, outbreak response and generation of evidence to inform policy for GI infections. Through this work she has gained substantial experience leading national, multi-agency investigations into outbreaks of foodborne illness and has a special interest in the highest burden GI pathogens, Campylobacter and norovirus, as well as health inequalities. Amy is currently working towards a PhD in Biology at the University of Oxford and holds a MSc in Control of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, as well as a BSc Hons in Biological Sciences from the University of Exeter.

James Johnson, Regulation & Enforcement Manager, Lichfield District Council. James leads the environmental health, licensing, emergency planning, and planning & listed building enforcement functions at Lichfield District Council in Staffordshire. He also serves as an environmental health officer in the Army Reserve and was elected as a trustee of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health in 2024. He has a particular interest in environmental crime and animal welfare, and disrupting how environmental health is delivered in local government.

Jonathan Williams, Product Owner, RHE Global. Jon has worked at RHE Global for 13 years and is currently a Director of the company. He has played a key role in developing innovative products such as The Noise App and RIAMS and is now leading the development of The Housing App. Jon is focused on delivering efficiency savings and using AI to transform how housing inspections and assessments are carried out. He is passionate about strengthening communication between tenants, social housing providers, and local authorities, and is committed to making it easier to identify hazards early, ensuring quicker action to protect vulnerable tenants across the sector.

Dr Nicholas Martindale is a researcher at the University of Bristol. Nicholas specialises in quantitative analyses of the world of work. His most recently published research investigates working conditions, class inequality, and protest in the UK and European gig economy. His other projects focus on class-, migration-, and gender-based inequalities in elite occupations as well as the consequences of outsourcing in the public sector. He holds degrees from Cambridge, London School of Economics, and Oxford.

Russell Moffatt, Director and Co-founder, Meta Street.  Russell is a Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner with over 20 years’ experience in private housing regulation. In 2013, he led the development, launch and management of England’s first borough-wide selective licensing scheme in Newham—setting a new standard for proactive local authority intervention.

In 2017, he co-founded Metastreet, a company at the forefront of transforming private housing regulation. By combining practitioner-led design with cloud-native software, big data analytics, and AI-driven technology, Metastreet empowers councils to deliver more intelligent, efficient and transparent regulatory services. The company is dedicated to reshaping the sector through automation, insight, and continuous innovation.

Russell also contributes to professional development and sector knowledge. In 2019, he co-developed a postgraduate CPD module on Advanced Private Housing Regulation, and in 2022, he co-authored Regulating the Privately Rented Housing Sector: Evidence into Practice—bridging the gap between policy, evidence, and practical implementation.

Tim Laurence, Data Scientist and Health Economist, UKHSA. Tim has over a decade of experience leading innovative projects in public health. He is a Principal Data Scientist in the Advanced Analytics team in UKHSA where he uses Large Language Models to process text to support the work of public health teams. He also carries out independent research projects outside his UKHSA role. He has previously worked at Public Health England, the Wellcome Trust and HM Treasury. Tim holds an MSc in International Health Policy (Health Economics) from the London School of Economics and a BA in Economics from the University of Exeter.

Tom Hindmarch, Digital Policy Adviser, LGA. Tom leads the LGA's AI Networks, connecting nearly 1,000 local government practitioners. He's led key initiatives such as the "State of the Sector: AI Report," the Local Government AI Case Study Bank, and The Technology Innovation Showcase, establishing himself as a recognised voice and convener in the local government digital space.

Metastreet. Simplify Compliance, Amplify Efficiency. Metastreet seeks to support local authorities in achieving their ambitions to protect tenants and drive up housing standards in the rented sector. Metastreet is powering some of the leading regulatory housing authorities with next generation software, apps and data science technology.

RHE Global. From support, sales and training to our creative development and in-house testing, we're driven by a culture of collaboration, innovation and inclusivity. Our mission is to assist with contributing to a better environment and safer communities. Our solutions provide answers to both existing and future environmental health and community safety issues.