Iris Kramer unveils plaque in her name at the University of Southampton

Graduate Iris Kramer returned to the University of Southampton today to unveil a purple plaque in her name, which she hopes will inspire the next generation of women in science. The plaque has been awarded to Dr Kramer to mark her UKRI Women in Innovation Award, which recognises her achievements as a pioneer in science and business.

UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) introduced purple plaques in 2022 as a visible celebration of women’s achievements in science – similar to the blue plaques across the UK that mark the achievements of influential and pioneering people.

Dr Kramer studied archaeology as an undergraduate, before completing her Master’s and PhD in Computer Science at the University of Southampton. She founded her company, ArchAI, in 2020. The company uses AI to digitise objects from LiDAR, satellite imagery and historic maps to unlock insights from past land-use, focusing on habitat restoration, conservation, and sustainable land planning.

Dr Kramer works with the construction industry to inform sustainable land-use planning, as well as with the Forestry Commission, National Trust, and other environmental organisations to support habitat restoration and conservation.

Dr Kramer said: “Receiving this plaque is a wonderful recognition of the success of ArchAI to date. I’m proud that our work is providing national-scale insights that were previously unimaginable through traditional methods. Our projects continue to make valuable contributions to research, and we’re fortunate to maintain strong collaborations with the University of Southampton, driving innovation forward through both academic and commercial partnerships.

“Having this plaque at the University of Southampton is so meaningful to me. It represents the amazing support I’ve had from people across various departments, all of whom encouraged me to dream big and gave me the space to turn those dreams into something that’s now making a real difference.”

Dr Kramer’s innovative vision for ArchAI and the company’s success also saw her named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2022.

Professor Tim Norman, Head of Electronics and Computer Science at the university, said: “It is exciting to see the positive economic and societal impacts of Dr Kramer’s work, grounded in the expertise she developed through her PhD. We are very proud of our open and inclusive culture that promotes and values entrepreneurship, and supported Iris in the early stages of her journey.”

The purple plaque is permanently located at the university’s Highfield Campus, in Building 32, University Road, where Dr Kramer studied her PhD.