News from Head of
School
Welcome to Informatics Staff
A warm welcome to academic and research staff from
the School
of Informatics (SoI)
who formally joined us today, and thanks to all those who turned out to
welcome them and other new staff on Friday. I appreciate that the
past few years – and the past year in particular – have been unsettling
times for everyone associated with SoI, but we are determined to make a
success of the new arrangements. The School will do everything it
can to provide a positive and supportive environment for those joining us,
and I am certain that the reconfiguration opens up exciting possibilities
for everyone involved with informatics (in its broadest sense) in
Manchester.
MEng Presentation Day and Careers
Fair
Congratulations to Linda Brackenbury, Alex Walker,
Bernard Strutt and all who contributed to MEng presentation day and
Careers Fair last Tuesday. The event was an outstanding success, and
generated a great “buzz” in the School. All the companies involved
were fulsome in their praise of the professional way in which the day was
run as well as by the high standard of the students they saw.
Special thanks to Sophia Lewis-Martyr and Sarah Lowe for their hard work
and impressive organisation of the event.
Coffee Morning
The ACSO ‘Big Coffee Morning’ last Friday raised
over £250 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Many thanks to all those who
donated cakes or contributed generously in return for eating them.
Congratulations to ACSO for organising such a successful and
enjoyable fund-raising event.
Postgraduate
Admissions
We now have a clear picture of our PGT admissions,
and the outcome is extremely encouraging. We have exceeded both our
home and overseas targets for 06/07, recruiting 44 home students (target
40), and 49 overseas students (target 38). This is a magnificent result,
so congratulations to all those involved, but especially to Renate Schmidt
and to Sue Wolfenden, Sarah and Bernard Strutt, who have taken the lead
role in processing PGT admissions this year. This has allowed us to
apply criteria set by Course Directors more efficiently, resulting in a
much more rapid turnaround of applications and, hence, a higher conversion
rate.
University Open Day
The next University open day for prospective
students will be taking place on Saturday 7th October. As you are
all aware, it is vital to the future health of the School that we attract
as many as possible of the very best candidates to apply for a place on
one of our UG programmes. A good turn out of academic staff to
chat with prospective students and their parents is known to have an
important influence on conversion, so the School needs your help. If
you are willing to volunteer please let Sophia
know – remember, it counts as academic load.
New Initiatives
I’d like to draw your attention to several
initiatives which are potentially important to the School. There is
a new call for proposals under the IBM-UoM Partners Programme (details below), involvement in
which is important in building a long-term relationship with the company.
I would strongly encourage you all to consider applying. There
is a new BBSRC Systems Biology call that will be of potential interest to
many of you (details below).
Please note that Doug Kell is coordinating expressions of interest from
the University. Finally there is a new internal call to bid for University
funding to support innovative teaching and learning initiatives (details below), to which I hope we
will respond.
Events this
Week
top
Knowledge Programming with
FLORA-2
4 Oct 06
Prof Michael Kifer. State University of New York
1415, Lecture Theatre 1.5, Kilburn Building
More
Information
University Open
Day
7 Oct 06
Open day for potential applicants for our UG
programmes. It is important that we create a positive impression of
the School, so please volunteer by contacting Sophia
if you are able to participate.
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.
Future School
Events
top
Retrenchments, Refinements, and the Mondex
Electronic Purse 11 Oct 06
Dr Richard Banach, School of Computer
Science
1415, Lecture Theatre 1.5, Kilburn Building
More
Information
VOMs for GridPP and the
NGS
13 Oct 06
An overview of the Virtual Organisation Membership
Service and how it is being deployed for GridPP and the National Grid
Service.
1400, Room 1.10 ESNW Access Grid, Kilburn Building
More
Information
Future
External
Events
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Climate Warming / Climate
Change
9 Nov 06
Sir David King, Chief Scientific Adviser to the
Government
1430-1530, Whitworth Hall. Email Lesley Sisson
for tickets.
Young Engineers Presentations – House of
Commons
17 Nov 06
The annual poster presentation for Young Engineers
at the House of Commons, coorganised by SET for Britain, is an opportunity to
bring the work of the School to a different and important audience,
enhance your CV and, potentially, win a prize. It is relevant to all
PhD students and junior RAs in the School, and those who have attended in
the past have thoroughly enjoyed the event.
More
Information
Grantsmanship Session
29 Nov 06
This popular one day course is aimed at new staff
(young as well as recent Appointments who are new to the UK system) as well as more
established members of staff who haven't had any recent interaction with
the EPSRC either as applicants, grant holders or referee/panel
members.
If you would like to register your interest please
email Louise
Rogers
Funding
Opportunities
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Leonardo da Vinci Programme for Staff
Exchange
10 Oct 06
For the exchange of expertise, competencies,
innovative methods and practices in relation to vocational training.
Exchanges do NOT need to involve two-way movement of staff. Deadline
for use of the funds and completion of exchanges has been
extended.
More
Information
RAEng/EPSRC Research
Fellowships
13 Oct 06
The Royal Academy of Engineering and EPSRC are
jointly offering up to ten Research Fellowships. These fellowships
provide five years funding to enable outstanding researchers from all
branches of engineering to establish an independent research career,
normally shortly or immediately after completing their
PhD.
More
Information
Research Council
Follow-on-Funds
27 Oct 06
There is a call for proposals to be submitted to
BBSRC and NERC for ‘Follow-on-Funding’. This funding is designed to bridge
the gap between academic and industrial research, specifically for
commercialisation projects. Proposals need to be submitted via UMIP
and generally require significant input from UMIP on the commercial
exploitation and potential.
More
Information
ESF Research Networking
Programmes
30 Oct 06
Bringing together nationally funded research
activities for four to five years, to address a major scientific issue or
a science-driven topic of research infrastructure, at the European level
with the aim of advancing the frontiers of science.
More
Information
Royal Society Research
Grants
1 Nov 06
Seed corn funding for new projects. For research
scientists at an early stage of their career or established scientists
wishing to change the direction of their research.
More
Information
Royal Society
University
Research Fellowships
2007
1 Nov 06
More
Information
EPSRC 2007 Senior Research
Fellowships
1 Nov 06
Applications are invited for the 2007 Senior
Research Fellowships exercise. Senior Research Fellowships are
awarded to outstanding academic scientists and engineers of international
repute with a minimum of 10 years post doctoral experience. Fellows
will be released from their current teaching and administration loads to
devote themselves to research for the period of the award (up to 5
years).
More
Information
AHRC-EPSRC-JISC e-Science Research Projects
Scheme
2 Nov 06
EPSRC is a partner in this new e-Science
Initiative. The aim of the scheme is to advance research in the Arts and
Humanities through the use and development of e-Science
technologies. In addition to a total budget of £2 million, six
four-year PhD project studentships are available either as part of an
e-Science Research Grant or as a stand alone.
More
Information
EPSRC 2007 Advanced Research
Fellowships
9 Nov 06
Applications are invited for the 2007 Advanced
Research Fellowships exercise. Advanced Research Fellowships are
awarded to outstanding researchers with between 3 – 10 years of
postdoctoral experience. Fellows are expected to devote themselves to
research for the period of the award (up to 5 years), with the expectation
that they will have established an independent research career of
international standing by the end of the award. Approximately 50 of
these awards are made each year.
More
Information
Teaching & Learning (T&L)
Innovation Funding New
20 Nov 06
The third round of bids for Teaching and Learning
Funding for Schools is now open.
More
Information
BBSRC Systems Biology (SABR)
New
27 Nov 06
Recently, the BBSRC announced a new Systems
Biology call. As Manchester already has a Systems Biology
Centre (MCISB, see www.mcisb.org), we are in a very good
position to apply for funding. Dieter Weichart, on behalf of Prof.
Doug Kell (Director of the MCISB), would like to take the initiative in
coordinating potential SABR bid(s) from the University (but not bids to
the related ESB initiative). If you are interested in participating
in a proposal please send a brief (few sentences) response to Dieter
Weichart, cc to Douglas
Kell outlining your proposed
research.
More
Information
IBM-UoM Partners Programme
New
30 Nov 06
Last year Kung-Kiu Lau became one of the first
“University
of Manchester-IBM
Partners”. Academic staff are now invited to
apply for the 2007/8 scheme. It is important to the School that we
grasp this opportunity to engage with the company, who have much to offer
all our activities.
More
Information
Royal Society Conference
Grants
1 Dec 06
The conference grants scheme supports UK based scientists to either
present their own paper/poster or chair a session at an overseas
conference, where conference participation is the main or sole purpose of
visit. The objectives of this scheme are to enable scientists to
disseminate research findings, establish collaborations and build
international reputations.
More
Information
Leverhulme Trust Research Leadership
Awards
1 Dec 06
To support researchers confronted with the task of
building a research team of sufficient scale to tackle an identified but
distinctive research objective. Each award will be at a level of up
to £800,000 in total for up to five years of work. The intent is that the
funds be used to provide each awardee with ten 'post-doctoral assistant
years' and ten 'research student years' for the grant period, though other
patterns would be permissible.
More
Information
Toshiba Fellowhips New
15 Dec 06
Toshiba in association with the EPSRC invites
applications from European scientists to join one of its high technology
research teams in Japan.
More
Information
EPSRC ICT Platform
Grants
Open
EPSRC invites outline proposals for its
information and communication technology platform grants. Platform grants
aim to provide world-leading UK groups with continuity of
funding for strategic development, longer-term research and international
networking.
More
Information
Royal Academy of Engineering Research
Chairs
Open
The Royal Academy of Engineering invites
applications for its research chairs. Research Chairs are
full-time professorial appointments, in any engineering-related subject.
The academy particularly welcomes proposals of a multidisciplinary nature.
Funding is provided for 5 years.
More
Information
RAEng Industrial Secondment
Scheme
Open
An opportunity for university lecturers in
engineering to gain state-of-the-art industrial
experience.
More
Information
BBSRC International Scientific Interchange Scheme
(ISIS)
Open
To help scientists make and establish new contacts
with their international counterparts.
More
Information
RAEng Global Research
Awards
Open
Projects in centres of excellence overseas
focussing on stimulating wealth creation and improvements in the quality
of life.
More
Information
EPSRC Engineering
Visits
Open
Support for salary costs and travel subsistence
for scientists and engineers of acknowledged standing, either from within
the UK or abroad, to visit the
investigator's organisation.
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.
SIAM/ACM Award in Computational Science and
Engineering 30 Sep
06
The contribution(s) for which the award is made
must be publicly available and may belong to any aspect of computational
science in its broadest sense. The award will include a certificate and a
cash prize of $5,000.
More
Information
ACM Turing
Award
31 Oct 06
ACM's most prestigious technical award is
accompanied by a prize of $100,000. It is given to an individual selected
for contributions of a technical nature made to the computing community.
The contributions should be of lasting and major technical importance to
the computer field. Financial support of the Turing Award is provided by
the Intel Corporation.
More
Information
ACM Grace Murray Hopper
Award
31 Oct 06
A prize of $15,000 awarded to the outstanding
young computer professional of the year.
More Information
Computer Science Writing Competition
2006/07
31 Jan 07
We want unpublished articles of up to 750 words
about research that’s part of any EPSRC-funded computer science
project. For this competition, computer science means the study of
methods for acquiring, storing, processing, communicating and reasoning
about information, and the role of interactivity in natural and artificial
systems through the implementation, organisation and use of computer
hardware, software and other resources.
More
Information
Research
Awards
top
E-infrastructure Security Levels of
Assurance
(Joint proposal with Manchester
Computing)
Funding Body: JISC
PI: Ning Zhang
Award Amount: £160000
Low-Power Asynchronous Integration for Massively
Parallel Computing
Funding Body: Industrial Technology Research
Institute
PI: Steve Furber
Award Amount: £26364
Staff
News
top
Awards and Promotions
None this week
Academic Arrivals
Colleagues from the School of
Informatics – details
circulated previously.
Dr Josh Knowles – Career Development Fellow – AI
Group.
Dr Elzbieta Pekalska - EPSRC Postdoctoral Research
Fellow – AI Group.
Technical Arrivals
Mr. Richard Hovey- Temporary Computer Officer
Academic Retirements
Prof Hilary Kahn – Appointed Professor
Emeritua
Dr Mike Cunningham
Research Arrivals
Alex Rast – RA – APT (SpiNNaker
Project)
Eustace Painkras – RA - APT (SpiNNaker
Project)
Wei Xing – RA - IMG
Research Departures
None this week
Administrative Arrivals
None this week
Administrative Departures
Colin Wallis
Sabbatical Leave
Alasdair
Rawsthorne: 80% secondment to
Transitive Technologies Oct 06 – Sep 07.
Alvaro
Fernandes: IBM Almaden Research Centre
US Jul 06 – Dec 06.
Milan Mihajlovic:
University of
Maryland, College Park
Jul 06 – Dec 06
Vacancies
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Academic Staff
None
Research & Technical Staff
New
Research Software Engineer (PsyGrid) –
ISBE
More
Information
Software Developer in Electronic Assessment
(ABC)
More
Information
Management & Professional Staff
None
Administrative Staff
None
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