SUMMER SCHOOL OF PROGRAMMING 2026 @ QUB

Belfast Cyber Expo 2026 is Northern Ireland’s AI-focused cybersecurity conference for business leaders, delivering practical AI-powered security insights, live demos, and real-world strategies to shield your organisation. On Thursday, 26 February 2026, from 9:00 to 14:00, the event will be held at Windsor Park (Clearer Twist National Stadium) in Belfast. Hosted by Leaf-IT in partnership with Belfast Chamber, this in-person gathering is designed for IT professionals, risk and compliance leaders, and executives looking to understand how AI is reshaping threat detection, response, and resilience. Why attend - Learn how AI is changing the threat landscape and how to adapt your security posture accordingly - See live demos of cutting-edge cybersecurity tools and practical implementations - Network with peers across Northern Ireland and gain actionable, real-world insights What to expect - Keynote presentations from leading vendors and security researchers - Breakout sessions with industry specialists and technology partners - Hands-on demonstrations of security solutions showing how to operationalize AI in your defence strategies - Networking opportunities with IT peers, business leaders, and security experts - Breakfast, refreshments, and a hot buffet lunch to fuel productive conversations - A guided tour of Windsor Park and surrounding facilities to showcase regional security ecosystems Featured speakers (illustrative lineup) - Ashley Finch – ConnectWise: How AI Will Reshape the Threat Landscape in 2026 - Khetan Gajjar – Mimecast: AI and Human Risk in the Battle for Email Security - Morgan Clutterbuck – ThreatLocker: Top Tips for Making Zero Trust Work in the Real World - Derrick Watson – Nihon Cyber: Inside a Real Attack: An Incident Response Case Study Your Business Can Learn From - Peter Igbanugo – Cisco: Strengthen Your Network and Reduce Risk Quickly Additional thought leaders and partners will be announced at the event site. Who should attend - IT professionals focused on cybersecurity and resilience - Business leaders protecting data while driving growth - Operations and compliance managers shaping data protection strategies - Finance and risk executives overseeing technology investments - Anyone responsible for technology, data, or security strategy Logistics and registration - Date: Thursday, 26 February 2026 - Time: 9:00–14:00 - Location: Windsor Park, Belfast, BT12 6LW (Clearer Twist National Stadium) - Organisers: Leaf-IT in partnership with

Key value proposition: this Belfast JUG meetup dives into making Agentic AI practical in real Java apps, moving beyond hype to tangible productivity. Attendees will see a hands-on, developer-first walkthrough of implementing Agentic AI in Java using LangChain4J, starting from a simple example and evolving into a repeatable workflow. If you’re a Java developer, AI engineer, or software architect curious about building reliable AI-powered automation, this session offers pragmatic patterns you can apply immediately. What to expect: - Practical, code-focused exploration of Agentic AI in Java with LangChain4J. The talk centers on turning prompts into structured execution and orchestrating tool calls in real apps, not just theoretical concepts. - A step-by-step progression from a basic example to a workflow that demonstrates when an agent adds value and when it’s unnecessary complexity. - Real-world patterns for tool calling and orchestration, with emphasis on repeatable outcomes and robust behavior instead of “it worked once.” - Discussion of how large players (e.g., Citi) are advancing internal GenAI platforms and how those ideas translate into practical engineering work today. - A hands-on, engineer-focused session designed to deliver actionable takeaways, with time for Q&A and live coding. Format and audience: - In-person, developer-centric meetup hosted by BelfastJUG in Belfast [Belfast](https://www.createwith.com/cities/belfast). - Target audience includes Java developers, AI practitioners, and software engineers who want to build reliable AI-powered workflows. - Bring a laptop and be prepared to engage with live coding and practical demos. Prior exposure to Java and basic AI concepts will help, but the session aims to be accessible to motivated learners. Topics you’ll explore: - Implementing Agentic AI in Java: practical approaches for reliable productivity, not hype - LangChain4J in action: from a simple example to a production-friendly workflow - From prompt to execution: structuring prompts, defining steps, and orchestrating tools - When an agent is useful versus when it introduces unnecessary complexity - Patterns for robust tool calling and workflow orchestration in real apps - Methods to achieve repeatable outcomes and predictable results Registration and venue: - Date and time: Tue, Mar 3, 2026, 6:00 PM local time (Belfast) - Location: Belfast (JUG meetup venue – see the Meetup page for exact address and directions) - Meet other local builders

Scaling Data & AI in Belfast: learn how to move from experimental AI to production-ready systems with expert talks, practical architectures, and live Q&A. The MCS Group Meetup in Belfast brings together practitioners and decision-makers to explore how to scale AI and data initiatives across teams, systems, and real-world business use cases. Expect concrete insights into turning pilots into scalable, usable solutions that deliver measurable value, not just technically impressive models.

Data & AI Meetup: Scaling Data & AI — Building Systems That Grow with Your Business. This in-person gathering is your chance to explore how organisations move from experimentation to production in data and AI, and, crucially, how to scale those efforts across teams, systems, and real-world business use cases. Location: MCS HQ (Floor 10, The Ewart, Bedford Sq, Belfast) Date & Time: Thursday 12 March 2026, 18:00–20:00 Why attend: As AI initiatives mature, the bottleneck often isn’t building models but deploying and scaling them in the wild. This session focuses on the role of domain expertise in making data and AI solutions scalable—translating business workflows, constraints, and operational needs into practical data architectures and usable models that get adopted, not just technically deployed. Speakers: - Matthew Mullan – Engineering Director at aPriori Technologies - Justin Dougherty – Technology Director at Aurion Learning - Matthew Lee – Director of AI & Medical Imaging at Sonrai Analytics What to expect: - A nuanced discussion on scaling AI/ML across teams and production environments - Practical insights into designing data architectures that support scalable, real-world use cases - Real-world examples that illustrate the gap between experiment and production and how to close it - Q&A with industry leaders, followed by informal networking - Social refreshments: pizza, beers and soft drinks provided on the evening Who should join: - Data scientists, ML engineers, data engineers, and product/ops leaders involved in moving AI from prototype to production - Teams looking to improve collaboration between data/AI initiatives and business workflows Agenda snapshot: - 18:00–18:05: Welcome and registration - 18:05–19:00: Speaker talks and discussion - 19:00–19:30: Q&A - 19:30–20:00: Networking and refreshments Registration/RSVP: - Please RSVP on the Meetup page: https://www.meetup.com/mcs-group-meetup/events/313190088 Notes: - Venue: MCS HQ, Floor 10, The Ewart, Belfast - This event is in-person (no virtual option listed) - Target audience: professionals engaged in data, AI, and software development with an interest in scalable implementations This session is ideal for those who are moving from AI experiments to scalable, production-grade solutions and want practical guidance from senior leaders in the field.

DevOps Belfast meetup offers a welcoming in-person evening for DevOps practitioners to share ideas, learn from peers, and hear practical experiences from engineers in Belfast. On Wednesday 25 March 2026 at 6:00 PM GMT, Bazaarvoice hosts a lightning-talk–style evening focused on culture, automation, and metrics in real-world systems. What you’ll gain by attending: - A concrete, community-driven space to swap experiences and best practices around DevOps culture, configuration management, and system automation - Lightning talks from local practitioners, including Shane O’Hanlon on Lessons from implementing Kyverno for Kubernetes - An open invitation for two additional lightning talks; if you’d like to speak, reach out to the organisers listed in the group - Food and refreshments provided by the host, plus time to network with fellow engineers, SREs, and developers - A practical, no-pressure format that emphasizes learning, sharing, and real-world takeaways over slides Audience and format: - Targeted at DevOps professionals, site reliability engineers, and engineers who are passionate about automation, metrics, and improving collaboration across teams - In-person meetup with lightning talks, followed by informal networking - An inclusive atmosphere that welcomes both newcomers and seasoned practitioners looking to broaden their practical DevOps toolkit What to expect from the venue and content: - Hosted by Bazaarvoice in Belfast, with emphasis on a conversational, knowledge-sharing vibe rather than product pitches - Topics aligned with the DevOps ethos: culture, automation, and metrics generation and collection, plus practical discussions on tooling and processes used in real-world environments - Opportunity to learn from peers about challenges and solutions in deploying and operating modern software systems Why this matters: - The event reinforces a community-driven approach to DevOps, where learnings are shared openly to uplift the entire local ecosystem - It’s a chance to stay current with hands-on practices, meet potential collaborators, and hear directly from engineers implementing modern policies and tooling in production If you’re in or near Belfast, mark your calendar for this first DevOps Belfast meetup of 2026. Bring your questions, consider a lightning topic to share, and come prepared to connect with a friendly, knowledge-hungry community.

LINAS 2026 (20 April 2026, Belfast) — a student‑led, interdisciplinary conference on AI research, ethics, governance, and real‑world applications. Learn how AI and ML shape research across law, computer science, social science, health and the arts; hear keynotes, research presentations and panels that examine responsible design, algorithmic governance, human–machine collaboration and societal impacts. Ideal for PhD & early‑career researchers, academics, industry professionals and students seeking practical insights into AI, automation and ethical frameworks. Format: invited keynotes, peer presentations, thematic sessions and networking opportunities. Keywords: AI, automation, machine learning, ethics, interdisciplinary research, agents, builders, vibe coding.