Professor Sue Black OBE

Professor of Computer Science and Technology Evangelist

What do you do?

I’m Sue Black, a multi-award-winning Computer Scientist, Digital Skills Expert, and Technology Evangelist. I was honored with an OBE for services to technology. I founded BCSWomen, led the campaign to save Bletchley Park, and wrote Saving Bletchley Park. I’m passionate about empowering women, so I started #techmums and TechUPWomen to create real change. My journey—from leaving school at 16 to earning a PhD—has shaped who I am today as a professor, speaker, and advocate for women in tech. I now have 4 children and 6 grandchildren. 

How are you involved in this area of science? 

I love helping people to realise their potential, particularly people who have faced multiple barriers in their lives. Technology and education have absolutely changed my life, enabling me to take my family out of poverty and create a successful life for us all. This transformation to my life has given me the motivation to help as many others as possible through tech and education.

I’ve created various programmes to help women from underserved communities achieve success from learning digital skills with my #techmums programme through to becoming data scientists or software engineers through our TechUPWomen programme at Durham University. I’ve given talks about my life and path to success and the benefits of becoming tech savvy to audiences all around the world “If I can do it, so can you.” 

What do you love about this topic?

Changing people’s lives for the better, you can’t beat the amazing feeling you get when you know that you have made a massive positive difference in someone’s life. It’s the best feeling in the world. It’s been incredible to see so many of the women that I’ve worked with over the last 15 years go on to achieve career and personal success.  

How does this work deliver real-world impact?

We have had nearly 400 women from the North and North East of the UK go through our TechUPWomen programme now, some going from being unemployed to being software engineers, cybersecurity consultants, data scientists and into further education. This also means that they may have dramatically improved their income which has a great positive impact on their families too.  

Find out more:

• Find out more and get involved with the work of TechUPWomen
• Learn more and watch a recent TechUPWomen video
• Explore the work of Professor Sue Black OBE