A Lancaster University PhD graduate has received a prestigious international prize for the dissertation he produced while studying at the university.

Dr Eduardo Soares received the International Neural Network Society (INNS) Doctoral Dissertation Award for his thesis on explainable deep learning, a form of artificial intelligence.

The Award is presented annually to the author of the best doctoral dissertation in neural networks, machine learning and includes a $500 prize.

Dr Soares studied at Lancaster University’s School of Computing and Communications under the supervision of Professor Plamen Angelov from 2018 to 2021 on a driverless technologies project funded by Ford.

His research papers, which look at the black-box nature of deep learning, have been cited hundreds of times.

Professor Angelov said: “I am really happy for Eduardo and very proud of this recognition of the level of the research he performed here, at Lancaster – School of Computing and Communications and LIRA.”

Dr Soares, who is now based back in his native Brazil, works as a Senior Research Scientist for IBM on developing deep learning to help discover new medicines and chemical materials.

Dr Soares said: "Receiving the prestigious International Neural Network Society (INNS) Doctoral Dissertation Award for my thesis on explainable deep learning is a tremendous honor. It serves as a validation of the dedication and effort I put into my research during my time at Lancaster University's School of Computing and Communications. I am grateful for the invaluable guidance and support provided by Professor Plamen Angelov, whose expertise shaped my academic journey and contributed to this remarkable achievement."