Keeley Bunting

Keeley is originally from Canada and spent over 15 years in the games industry in both her home country and the UK. She moved to Dundee from London six years ago to take up a position with Outplay, an independent games studio based in the city.

She developed a deep love for Dundee and its vibrant video game community. Keeley was introduced to Abertay through her role at Outplay where she was involved in mentoring and judging for the University’s Dare Academy, an annual games design competition for students in Abertay’s School of Design and Informatics.

Being involved in the Dare Academy provided me with the opportunity to meet Abertay’s super talented students and to see first-hand the lecturers’ commitment to their success.

After many years in industry, Keeley opted for a career break. After researching master’s courses offered at Abertay, Keeley came across the Data Lab Scholarship for students on the MSc in Applied Artificial Intelligence and User Experience. The Data Lab Academy included employability workshops, lessons in AI ethics, and the option of an industry placement.

She’d been interested in AI for many years and was excited about the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the topic.

The course exceeded my expectations. It combined theoretical knowledge with practical experiences, offering a well-rounded education.

During her placement with the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Keeley worked on a prototype AI application to support the sustainability of aquaculture. The aim was to automate the identification of marine life near potential aquaculture sites, a task that is currently done manually. She developed a custom dataset and utilised transfer learning to identify sea creatures in underwater imagery. The team at SAMS anticipate publishing their findings next year.

Looking ahead to graduation, Keeley remains open-minded, with possibilities including launching her own business in the fields of AI or video games. Regardless of the direction she ultimately chooses, Keeley has developed knowledge and abilities that empower her to see and embrace new challenges.

Her time at Abertay has been instrumental in developing these skills. Keeley attributes much of this growth to the unwavering support of her lecturers and classmates, who displayed genuine care for her success and wellbeing. Acknowledging the key role played by her supervisor Dr Javad Zarrin, Keeley encourages other students to grasp the transformative opportunities available at Abertay.

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