School of Informatics

2017

All the news from 2017.

Scottish Cyber Security collaboration established

Researchers from Edinburgh's Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research are joining a wider Cyber Security collaboration across Scotland in the SICSA Cyber Nexus, which is a new initiative that aims to focus efforts from Scotland’s leading universities on cybersecurity and cyber resilience, linking with government and industry to build new research and innovation capacity.

Sensors to detect health effects of smog in pollution black spot

Tiny respiratory monitors attached to the chest, and monitors worn as belts, will gauge the health effects of air pollution in one of the world’s most polluted cities.

Cyber Security Christmas Lectures come back to Edinburgh

The School of Informatics will be hosting the annual Cyber Security Christmas Lecture once again on Thursday 14th December. Registration is still open.

Team from Informatics wins national Cyber Security Challenge again

Joshua Green, Harvey Stocks, Wojciech Nawrocki and Antonio Guterres have won the Scottish University Cyber Challenge.

Alan Kay receives an honorary degree from the School of Informatics

Professor Alan Kay, a renowned America computer scientist has been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Edinburgh.

Talking walls and boxes on the fringes of Hebrides

Earlier this year PhD students Amy Isard and Arlene Casey secured funding from IIG for their project Talking phone boxes on the edge of the Hebrides.

Tech advances aid bid for smarter polls

How people in Scotland vote could be transformed with advances in technology, computer scientists say.

Researchers propose improvements to SQL databases

Paolo Guagliardo and Leonid Libkin have recently published two papers that address flaws in SQL and relational databases.

Huawei 5G deal focuses on AI and smart robotics

Edinburgh experts and global telecoms firm Huawei are to collaborate on the development of artificially intelligent robots supported by next-generation wireless networks.

TV crime box sets give computers a lead in solving problems

Computers are being trained to solve problems by bingeing on episodes of a popular TV crime drama.

Robotics experts focus on industry challenges

Robotics and artificial intelligence researchers are lending their expertise to a raft of newly funded projects with industry applications.

SpeechWave project to address accuracy in speech recognition

Researchers set to improve speech recognition by using deep learning.

Edinburgh partners with BBC and UK universities to unlock potential of data

The University of Edinburgh is one of eight UK universities to join a partnership with BBC Research & Development that will apply data science to better understand the BBC's audiences and shape future content.

Edinburgh Computer Science #14 in annual world THE ranking

The University of Edinburgh is ranked #14 in the 2018 Times Higher Education World Computer Science subject ranking.

Informatics Ventures and Women’s Enterprise Scotland: Making IT Work for Women

The School of Informatics will host the first annual event focussing on diversity in IT and specifically increasing the number of women in STEM and tech.

Informatics student awarded 2nd prize in the Young Software Engineer of the Year 2017 awards

MInf student, Orisa Ngampakdeepanich has been awarded 2nd place in the Young Software Engineer of the Year 2017 awards for her project entitled "Peter’s Adventures: A tablet app to elicit pretend play with children with ACS”.

Households given expert advice in bid to be energy smart

Scores of residents in and around Edinburgh are set to benefit from free insight and advice on their energy use, as part of a smart technology research initiative.

Brain study reveals how insects make beeline for home

Scientists have discovered how the wiring of bees’ brains helps them plot the most direct route back to their hive.

Informatics searching for a new Head of School

The School of Informatics is looking for an outstanding candidate with a strategic vision and the management skills to ensure that the School continues to build on its existing success and to steer a course through the many opportunities available.

Newly refurbished Appleton Tower popular on Doors Open Day

Over 100 visitors came on Saturday 23rd September to enjoy the view from level 7 of Appleton Tower, including a number of alumni and other guests with surprising connections to the building.

Visit Appleton Tower on 23rd September for Edinburgh Doors Open Day

Experience one of the best views of the city - visit the newly-refurbished Appleton Tower.

Fitness trackers could benefit from better security, study finds

The security of wearable fitness trackers could be improved to better protect users’ personal data, a study suggests.

UK cyber security head sees cutting-edge research

The head of the UK’s national organisation for cyber security has visited the University to learn first-hand about active research in the field.

WikiLeaks gave Trump edge in campaign race, Twitter study finds

Criticism of Hillary Clinton over documents posted by WikiLeaks played a key role in her failed US presidential campaign, analysis of social media suggests.

Informatics former Director of Commercialisation recognised in Queen’s birthday honours

Dr Colin Adams, former Director of Commercialisation in the School of Informatics and Director of Informatics Ventures, has been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Huawei and the University of Edinburgh to open joint lab

Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology solution provider, today announced a partnership with the University of Edinburgh to open a new lab for distributed data management and processing.

Fake online profiles easier to fish out with new software tool

People who use fake profiles online could be more easily identified, thanks to a new tool developed by computer scientists.

Team from School of Informatics in CyberCenturion finals

A team from School of Informatics competed in the National Finals of CyberCenturion, a countrywide cyber defence competition led by global security company Northrop Grumman and Cabinet Office-backed Cyber Security Challenge UK, with support from the US Air Force Association.

Smart Robots for Intelligent Warehousing: from Research to Translation

Researchers from Statistical Machine Learning and Motor Control Group have recently received boost in funding from various sources to further their study on novel solutions for automated supermarkets and warehouses.

New student society: EaRS (Embedded and Robotics Society)

EaRS is the newest student society in the School of Informatics.

Computational guidance to help tackle human-wildlife conflict

Dr Kartic Subr will be working alongside conservationists on a project aimed at modelling spatio-temporal populations of certain species of animals.

Pro-independence tweeters dial down Scots language for debate

Twitter users who back Scottish independence are more likely to use Scots words in their posts – except when tweeting about the referendum issue itself, analysis shows.

Humans' relationship with machines in spotlight at Science Festival

A future in which people and computers interact ever more closely is to be examined in a talk at the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

SUMMA consortium to present new prototype at EACL 2017

The first prototype of its multi-lingual media monitoring platform will be presented on 6 April 2017 at the EACL 2017.

University of Edinburgh to become Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security Research

The Government has today announced the University of Edinburgh as the latest UK university to become a Government-approved Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security Research in the UK.

Informatics events at the Edinburgh International Science Festival

School of Informatics staff are involved in numerous events at the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

Alumni return for careers panel

Students interested in a career in software engineering can hear from graduates working locally in industry, 6-7pm Monday 3 April.

Girls in Tech

Informatics students share their passion for computing in films launched to celebrate International Women’s Day, 8 March 2017.

New Head for College of Science & Engineering

Professor Dave Robertson, has been appointed as Head of the College of Science & Engineering.

Celebrating our Athena SWAN Silver Award

Athena SWAN encourages and recognises commitment to advancing the careers of women in science and technology in higher education and research. The UK initiative is run by the Equality Challenge Unit.

Beyond Bitcoin - IOHK and University of Edinburgh establish Blockchain Technology Laboratory

The establishment of a Blockchain Technology Laboratory within the university’s School of Informatics was announced today.

ICSA researchers widely recognised at the International CGO Symposiums

Researchers from the School of Informatics were recognised at the prestigious event in Austin, Texas in early February.

School of Informatics MInf student wins Amazon Women in Innovation Bursary

Claire Doherty, MInf students in the School of Informatics is one of three women in the UK to be selected for the Amazon Women in Innovation Bursary.

Festival of Creative Learning in Informatics

The School of Informatics participates in three events, including one co-organised by ILW veterans and ‘Smart Data Hack’ co-founders.

Ants use sun and memories to guide their backwards walk home

They are famed for their highly developed work ethic … now a study shows ants’ navigational skills are more sophisticated than was previously thought.

New student society in Machine Learning: EdIntelligence

EdIntelligence is the newest student society in the School of Informatics.

Smart scales leak personal data

Student project reveals security and privacy flaws in some eHealth devices.

Focus on final year projects

In response to student feedback, the School has organised two new events to support the development of undergraduate dissertations.

New student society: SIGINT

Informatics undergraduates have set up a group for students interested in cyber security.

Wanted: tech industry ‘big hitter’

Informatics is looking for an exceptional Director of Commercialisation & Industry Engagement.

EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Data Science Open Day

The Open Day will take place on Wednesday 18 January 2017.

Synthetic voices go multilingual

Researchers are working with the BBC to generate high quality computer-generated speech in different languages.

Investigating quantum technologies

Dr Myrto Arapinis and Professor Elham Kashefi have been awarded $1.6M to explore quantum verification and validation issues.

Speech analysis for dementia

Dr Maria Wolters is helping to develop technology which will improve early detection of dementia.