Management Team

Dr David Patterson : co-founder & CEO

Prior to founding SOPHIA Search, David was Director of the Northern Ireland Knowledge Engineering Laboratory (NIKEL) at the University of Ulster. NIKEL is an artificial intelligence research and technology transfer centre which focused on data mining, machine learning and information retrieval. It was here that the initial research behind SOPHIA was carried out. He received his PhD in Artificial intelligence, from the University of Ulster in 2000.

Dr Vladimir Dobrynin : co-founder and CTO

Prior to founding SOPHIA Search, Vladimir was an Associate Professor and senior researcher at St. Petersburg State University. He graduated in 1977 with honours and worked for 3 years as an engineer in the Radio-Technical Research Institute in St. Petersburg. In 1981 he took up a position at St. Petersburg State University and received his Ph.D. in Mathematical Cybernetics in 1985. He has 30 years R&D experience in the IT sector

Alastair Kerr : Global Sales Director

Alastair is an experienced International Sales and Managing Director with over 25 years experience in developing new business in the software services sector. Having succesfully founded, grown and sold a software CRM business to a London listed PLC Alastair brings dynamic, passionate, entrepreneurial sales experience to SOPHIA. Alastair believes in developing long term mutual beneficial business relationships and doing so in an enjoyable style!

Dr Bryan Keating : Chairman

Bryan has been a company director for 30  years.  He is currently a director of three private companies and a number of public sector organisations.  In total over the last 15 years he has been chairman or a non -executive Director of seven  high tech companies and a  number of  public bodies , (QUBIS, University Challenge Fund Investment Committee, Investment Belfast, halo the NI Business Angel Network, Momentum and NICENT, the NI Centre for Entrepreneurship).  As an Angel Investor he has extensive experience of both Corporate and Venture Capital issues.  He is a visiting professor at the University of Ulster.   Dr Keating received the Queen's Lifetime Award for Enterprise Promotion 2006.

Tim Brundle : Director

Tim is Director of Innovation at the University of Ulster. He has over 10 years experience in the commercialisation of technology and business & economic development. His background in the UK Ministry of Defence, QinetiQ ltd and the Northern Ireland Aerospace Consortium is complemented by recent success in the management of public to private sector transition and change management.

Tim holds a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Biotechnology from the University of Glamorgan and both a Master of Medical Science Degree and an Executive MBA from Queen's University of Belfast