School of Informatics

Latest news

Most recent news from Informatics.

Antonis Katsarakis receives the EuroSys Roger Needham PhD Award

Antonis Katsarakis, a former Informatics student, has received the EuroSys Roger Needham PhD Award - Honorable Mention. This is the first time that an Informatics student received this highly prestigious award.

Robert van Glabbeek elected to membership of Academia Europaea

Robert van Glabbeek, Royal Society Wolfson Fellow and Personal Chair in Computer Science at the School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh has been elected a member of the Academia Europaea in recognition of his scientific standing.

Phil Wadler elected a Fellow of the Royal Society

Professor Philip Wadler FRS Professor of Theoretical Computer Science at the School of Informatics, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He joins existing fellows from the School of Informatics: Jane Hillston, Alan Bundy, Peter Buneman, Wenfei Fan and Gordon Plotkin as well as notable past fellows: Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Charles Babbage, Dorothy Hodgkin and Stephen Hawking.

Changemakers from Informatics

Jonathan MacBride and Mitchell Hunter from the School of Informatics are among the University staff recognised for going above and beyond to make the University more sustainable, or to inspire others to make change.

Professor Helen Hastie appointed the new Head of School of Informatics

Professor Helen Hastie has been appointed as the new Head of School of Informatics. She will take over from Professor Jane Hillston in August.

Tanya Shreedhar in the final of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science UK and Ireland Rising Talents Awards

Dr Tanya Shreedhar, a postdoctoral researcher in Mahesh Marina’s Networked Systems Group, was among the 2023 finalists for L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science UK and Ireland Rising Talents Awards.

Informatics student wins Lovelace Colloquium poster competition

Qiuye (Chloe) Zhang, a second year Artificial Intelligence and Computer science student won the second-year poster competition at this year’s Lovelace Colloquium that took place in Sheffield.

The School of Informatics welcomes two new Chancellors Fellows

A group of outstanding early career researchers have been awarded one of the University of Edinburgh’s most prestigious fellowships. Amongst those new Chancellors Fellows are Craig Innes and Jeff Dalton who will be joining the School of Informatics this summer.

Hakan Bilen’s work with a naval architecture firm Tymor Marine brings deep learning to ancient art of weighing ships

A consortium of researchers in Scotland has developed new artificial intelligence (AI) technology that will modernise the way shipping vessels are weighed and checked for stability, a process still based on principles formulated by Greek scientist Archimedes more than 2,000 years ago.

Gordon Plotkin elected the International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Gordon Plotkin, a Professor in the School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh is among 270 new members elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2023. The Academy is both an honorary society that recognizes and celebrates the excellence of its members and an independent research centre convening leaders from across disciplines, professions, and perspectives to address significant challenges.

The NQCC’s Software Lab at the University of Edinburgh launched yesterday

Yesterday in Edinburgh, the National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) and the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh signed a memorandum of understanding on developing a quantum software and applications centre that aims to overcome key challenges to accelerate the development of quantum computing and investigate new ways in which quantum computers can provide benefits, beyond the reach of traditional computers.

Edinburgh Science: from MENACE to Deepfakes – how computers and AI are changing our future

Computers and AI permeate our lives: recent artificial intelligence developments particularly hit the news with some experts sounding alarm bells. Can synthetic media help or hinder the future of news? Are sentient robots friends or monsters? Can robots care? How did AI end up here – and where is it going? As we celebrate 60 years of computer science and AI research in Edinburgh, join the Edinburgh Science events that explore the history and discuss the future of intelligent machines.

Informatics shines in the 2023 QS world subject rankings

The School of Informatics is ranked 15th in the world in the QS ranking for Data Science, a new subject addition to QS annual subject rankings. The School has also improved its standing in Computer Science and Information Systems moving up by 3 ranks to 20th in the world.

Three Informatics academics elected as RSE fellows

Professors Alex Lascarides and Ross Anderson and Dr Fiona McNeill from the School of Informatics are joining the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, it has been announced on 21st March 2023.

Informatics research will bring high speed broadband to rural areas

The technology that was developed as part of Dr Mohamed Kassem’s PhD at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics, supervised by Professor Mahesh Marina, will be used to bring high speed broadband to hard-to-reach areas. 

Quantum and AI centre launched with Cisco

The University has established a new software centre of excellence with technology giant Cisco.

Volunteer with Scouts like Douglas Armstrong

Staff at the University of Edinburgh are entitled to one day of paid leave to volunteer and Professor Douglas Armstrong from the School of Informatics has been using his to volunteer at a Scouts camp. You might think that a mixture of survival camp and teenage party is not your cup of tea but there’s many ways in which you can get involved.

Top Android phones from China collect more user data than previously thought

Phone makers like Xiamoi, OnePlus, and Oppo Realme, some of the most popular in China, are all collecting large amounts of sensitive user data via their respective operating systems, as are a variety of apps that come pre-installed on the phones. Paul Patras and his student Haoyu Liu, with their collaborator Doug Leith of Trinity College Dublin, have been researching privacy of the Android OS firmware, examining those versions available on the Chinese market. 

We are celebrating 60 years of computer science and AI research

During 2023, the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh celebrates 60 years of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Computer Science research, highlighting the heritage of this extraordinary place as one of the leading centres for advanced technology research. A programme of events in 2023 will mark achievements over the past six decades, and look to the future of AI and computer science at Edinburgh.

INF1B Object-oriented programming course to get an innovative revamp

Vidminas Vizgirda, Fiona McNeill and Brian Mitchell (course organisers for INF1B, Object-Oriented Programming) set out to give their course a modern revamp. They will improve the materials’ presentation and accessibility and enable access for the wider public by hosting them on a public-access website, available under a CC-BY-SA open license. 

Informatics searching for a new Head of School

The School of Informatics is looking for an outstanding candidate who will provide strategic leadership, with a key role in shaping the future of the School to increase its global impact and contribution to society.

AI and robots could help detect UTIs early

Scientists are developing artificial intelligence and talking robots to help to detect urinary tract infections in vulnerable people early.

AI tools could boost social media users' privacy

Smart AI tools could protect social media users’ privacy by tricking algorithms designed to predict their personal opinions, a study by the School of Informatics researchers suggests.