Tomas Ward isn’t your typical computer science professor. A self-described “noob,” Ward heads up data analytics at the School of Computing at Dublin City University and serves as site director of Insight, one of Ireland’s largest AI research centers. But it’s not titles that drive him—it’s tinkering. Ward is a champion of curiosity, experimentation, and joyful failure.
Whether organizing maker festivals or encouraging students to dive headfirst into hands-on urban tech challenges, Ward sees data and technology as tools for collective experimentation and progress. To him, a smart city isn’t just a city that uses data; it’s one where citizens shape their environment through access, openness, and play.
We caught up with Ward in June during the first Urban Tech Challenge organized at DCU by Bentley System, the global infrastructure engineering software company. The hackathon brought together students, academics, and technologists to find solutions to real urban problems.
We talked about how he teaches, how he learns, what he wants every student to take away, and why open data is critical to smart city innovation.
Bentley: Why are events like the Urban Tech Challenge important for students, for DCU, and for Dublin?
Thomas Ward: I’m a big fan of the social side of engineering. I believe in engineering culture where people come together to build, experiment, and try things out—where it’s okay to fail together and succeed together. I think DCU has a strong culture that really supports and celebrates that. I try to encourage it wherever I can.
Bentley: Why are smart cities important? How can open data, data analytics and AI enable them?
Ward: To me, a smart city is a space where people can experiment. It lets society try out ideas, build prototypes, and see what works—and what doesn’t. It gives citizens a chance to co-create their city instead of passively accepting whatever’s developed from the top down. That’s the value. People become active participants in shaping their environment and the future of their city.
Bentley: Why is open data so essential to this process?
Ward: Without data, we can’t build. Think of data as the loose Lego blocks. It’s the raw material we use to experiment and reshape a city. Data, plus ideas, plus people—that’s how we create prototypes and explore possibilities. Without data, there’s nothing to build.
Bentley: Your students won’t all become engineers or software developers. What do you hope they take away from your classes—something they’ll carry with them for life?
Ward: I want them to be fearless. To be okay with not knowing. Thirty years ago, society valued experts—people who gathered knowledge and built authority. Today, we need people who are comfortable being beginners. I’m a noob every day. If I joined that hackathon over there, I wouldn’t have a clue—but I’d jump in anyway. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about trying, learning, and having fun. Pursue joy, play with ideas and don’t fear failure. That’s what I want them to remember.
Tomas Kellner is Bentley’s chief storyteller.
