This week sees the retirement of Barry Middleton, following a long career in the University. Barry joined CS in 1999, transferring from the Department of Electrical Engineering, where he had spent many years. Barry and his group added considerably to our strength in computer engineering and were central to obtaining £1.82M SRIF funding in 2001, to establish a new Centre for Mesocience and Nanotechnology in the IT Building (jointly with the Department of Physics). At a personal level, Barry has been a delight to work with, and will be sorely missed – though not too sorely since, I’m pleased to say, he intends to keep actively engaged with the School. We all wish him the very best in his retirement.

EPS Planning Conference

Last week saw individual School plans brought together to form an overall EPS plan. This was discussed at a Faculty Leadership Team (FLT) Planning Conference. Academically, the Faculty seems to be progressing well towards its 2015 targets, but the financial projection for 2006/7 is not particularly encouraging. If School plans are left unaltered, the Faculty will accumulate an overall deficit of around £6m. This is probably more than the University will think reasonable, even though we are being encouraged to invest aggressively in the future. CS has the largest projected deficit for 2006/7 of all the Schools in EPS, so we are likely to come under intense pressure to reduce it, either by increasing our income or by reducing expenditure. We believe we have been realistic in our forecasts of student numbers and research income though we will, of course, be doing everything we can to perform at a higher level than forecast. Much of the 2006/7 expenditure is already committed, so we will have to look very closely at whether any planned expenditure can be deferred. In our School plan, we have made clear the need for the University to support the School during a period when falling student numbers are likely to lead to a shake-out of the UG market in our discipline. I will argue strongly that it would be short-sighted in the extreme to hold back on investment in a 5* School at a time when the University is striving for excellence. The current version of the School plan will be posted on the intranet later this week.

Have a Good Break

Finally, I hope that you will all have an enjoyable Christmas and New Year, and look forward to seeing you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when the University opens again.

Seminars top

Walking in a Semantic Wonderland New 21 Dec 05

Sean Bechhofer, University of Manchester
1400-1500, Atlas 1, Kilburn Building
More Information

Academic Intellectual Property & Commercialisation New 19 Jan 06

Corporate Intellectual Property: What companies look for in I.P Collaboration with Universities.. Seminar series commissioned by UoM, MMU and Salford.
1030-1430, Room G.16, Music & Drama Building (Martin Harris Building).
Email registration only please : Lorraine Joseph, Seminars

Regular Seminar Series

See links in contents bar for information on seminar series organised by the School of CS, E-Science North West and National Centre for Text Mining.

Internal Meetings and Events top

School Christmas Party Tue 20 December

1500 onwards
Staff Common Room

Events Calendar top

Manchester Turing Lecture 25 Jan 06

Lifestyle access for the disabled – adding positive drift to the random walk with technology. Chris Mairs, Data Connection.
Registration necessary. More Information

EPSRC Public Engagement Workshops 8 Feb & 9 Mar 06

Introducing PE to ‘virgins’ and passing on best practice. Space limited.
More information and registration.

Genomes to Systems Conference 22-24 Mar 06

An important conference concerning the latest concepts and breakthroughs in genomics and systems biology. Discounted registration before 31 Dec 05
More Information

Funding Opportunities top

Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences New 31 Jan 06

Call for Proposals. The Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences is a national research institute in Cambridge. It aims to bring mathematical scientists from UK universities and leading experts from overseas together for concentrated research on specialised topics in all branches of the mathematical sciences from pure mathematics, applied mathematics, and statistics, to engineering, computer science, theoretical physics and mathematical biology. The Institute now invites new proposals for programmes for 2008 onwards.

More Information

BBSRC International Scientific Interchange Scheme (ISIS) Open

BBSRC's International Scientific Interchange Scheme (ISIS) provides support to help scientists make and establish new contacts with their international counterparts. Funding is available to BBSRC grantholders, and researchers working on BBSRC-supported projects at BBSRC-sponsored Institutes for travel and subsistence for three main types of visit. The scheme is open to bids at any time (at least 6 weeks before travel) with payments being made in advance of any visits. Please note BBSRC-supported students are not eligible to travel under ISIS support.

More Information

Weizmann Institute Visiting Professorships 31 Dec05

The Visiting Professorships are available to suitable candidates from all countries. They are intended for outstanding scientists from institutions of higher learning and research institutions, who have achieved appropriate recognition in their fields of activity and who hold the rank of Full Professor (or an equivalent rank) in their home institutions. The Visiting Professorships are awarded for a period of from two months to a maximun of one year and provide financial remuneration in accordance with the Weizmann Institute salary scale for visiting scientists. (The average stay is three months.) Recipients are eligible for a round trip air fare (at the cheapest direct commercial fare) for the awardee and spouse, and rent-free housing.

More Information

EPSRC Senior Media Fellowships 26 Jan 06

The Public Engagement Programme invites applications for Senior Media Fellowships. These enable leading researchers to devote time to develop a higher media profile. The aim is to advance public engagement with the physical sciences, mathematics and engineering via the broadcast and written media. Senior Media Fellowships are intended to be used for active development of media opportunities (not research, scholarship or teaching).

More Information

Royal Commission Research Fellowships 23 Feb 06

The scheme of 1851 Research Fellowships is intended to give a few young scientists or engineers of exceptional promise the opportunity for conducting research for a further period of two years. Approximately six awards are made each year. Candidates in science subjects must normally be in possession of a PhD degree, or in the final stages of their PhD studies.
The Fellowships are open to candidates in any of the physical or biological sciences, in mathematics, in applied science, or in any branch of engineering.

More Information

RAEng Industrial Secondment Scheme New Open

The Industrial Secondment Scheme provides an invaluable opportunity for university lecturers in engineering to gain state-of-the-art industrial experience.
Applicable to engineers of all disciplines, the Scheme's objective is to enable the secondees to impart the fruits of this experience to their students through teaching, through case studies using up-to-date material and, in the longer term, through course design. The benefits also accrue to the host organisation which gains a temporary but highly qualified member of staff, and to the university which has the opportunity of strengthening its links with industry.
The Scheme provides funding for the university to employ a temporary replacement for the secondee. In this way it minimises the effects on the normal flow of teaching, and makes it easier for universities to release members of staff for secondment. The Scheme has also been well received by industry, and many organisations have indicated a willingness to offer places to engineering academics: where possible The Royal Academy of Engineering helps in the 'matchmaking process'.

More Information

Prize and Award Opportunities top

We have acknowledged the need to raise the profile of the School both nationally and internationally. Nominating individuals for awards, and working actively with others to ensure that deserving individuals are nominated is one way of doing that.

Roger Needham Award 21 Dec 05

The Roger Needham Award, sponsored by Microsoft Research, and established in memory of the late Roger Needham, is for a distinguished research contribution in computer science by a UK based researcher within ten years of their PhD. It consists of a £5000 prize together with an opportunity to give a public lecture on their work.

More information

IEEE Internet Award 31 Jan 06

The IEEE Internet Award was established by the IEEE Board of Directors in June of 1999. It is presented annually for exceptional contributions to the advancement of Internet technology for network architecture, mobility and/or end-use applications. This award can be given to an individual or team of up to three.

More Information

The IEEE Koji Kobayashi Award 31 Jan 06

The IEEE Koji Kobayashi Computers and Communications Award was established by the IEEE Board of Directors in 1986 for outstanding contributions to the integration of computers and communications. This award can be given to an individual, multiple recipients, or a team.

More Information

The IEEE Emanuel R Piore Award 31 Jan 06

The IEEE Emanuel R. Piore award is presented annually to an individual, or team of two individuals, for outstanding contributions in the field of information processing, in relation to computer science, deemed to have contributed significantly to the advancement of science and to the betterment of society.

More Information

Royal Academy of Engineering Global Research Awards New

Global Research Awards provide an opportunity for engineers currently engaged in research and development to undertake projects in centres of excellence overseas. Projects should focus on activities which could help stimulate wealth creation and improvements in the quality of life, supporting the international development of research networks and encouraging the uptake of globally competitive technology in the UK.

More Information

Research Awards top

Project Title: Graphene Spintronic Devices
Funding Body: EPSRC
PI: Ernie Hill
Award Total: £264436

Staff News top

Awards and Promotions

None this week

Academic Arrivals

None this week

Academic Departures

Professor Barry Middleton, retires after 19 years in the University

Research Arrivals

None this week

Research Departures

None this week

Administrative Arrivals

None this week

Administrative Departures

None this week

Sabbatical Leave

Andrei Voronkov: Microsoft Research, Redmond USA
Aug 05 – Aug 06.

Ian Horrocks: University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bell Labs, and Stanford University
Feb 06 – Sep 06.

Peter Aczel: Nijmegen University, and Maths Institute at the University of Munich
Jan 06 – Sep 06.

Alasdair Rawsthorne: 80% secondment to Transitive Technologies
Oct 05 – Sep 06.

Alvaro Fernandes: IBM Almaden Research Centre US
Jul – Dec 06.

Vacancies top

Academic Staff

None

Research Staff

None

Administrative Staff

None