MANCHESTER

           1824

School of Computer Science

Weekly Newsletter

15 February 2010

Contents

News from HoS

This Week

School Events

External Events

Funding Opps

Prize & Award Opps

Research Awards

Staff News

Vacancies

 

Links

News Submissions

Newsletter Archive

School Strategy

School Intranet

School Seminars

ESNW Seminars

NaCTeM Seminars

 

News from Head of School

Research Profiling: Feedback Timescales and Appeals

We have now been given details on timescales for feedback and the appeals process relating to the Research Profiling Exercise, as described here: DOC or PDF. As such, please let me know if you want to receive your profile by Friday 19th February.

Revised arrangement for advertising and recruitment – amended

Several people have queried Susan Field in HR along the lines of:

‘Whether we ‘should appoint someone from the EEA who is ‘good enough’ at the expense of holding out for someone from outside the EEA who would be the best available candidate..’. 

Susan has taken advice and can confirm as follows:  

“We CAN interview EEA and non-EEA applicants together if we wish, to enable us to identify the scope of the field up-front, but we must be mindful of the need to be able to justify any subsequent appointment of a candidate from non-EEA at the expense of what might appear to be an appropriately qualified EEA candidate.  The Resident Labour Market test refers to qualifications, experience and skills and so long as we can link back the appointment to the requirements for the role - as advertised, it would be difficult for the UKBA to challenge the appointment.  Clearly, there is a need in any case to ensure that our criteria (outlined on the further particulars) are fit for purpose and strictly adhered to, as UKBA can audit job adverts and recruitment documents at any time.

We will move forward on the basis of taking a sensible approach to vacancies as they arise, since it’s a balance between scoping out the applicants versus wasting time and money in bringing people to interview that won’t stand a chance of being appointed.”

Original message below:

Please find below details of the revised arrangements that we have agreed for advertising and recruitment which have been put in place as a response to the UK Border Agency requirements c.f the resident labour market test - which requires us to show that a position has been advertised externally for at least four weeks before considering the appointment of a non-EEA (European Economic Area) national.

With immediate effect:

Advertising
1. All academic/research posts will be advertised in accordance with existing internal arrangements, then, will be advertised for four weeks externally as a default.
2. In exceptional circumstances, there may be the possibility of reducing the four week external advertising requirement - but this course of action will run the risk of there being significant delay in the appointment process should a non-EEA applicant be the eventual preferred candidate.

3. Support and PSS staff advertisements will continue to be advertised in accordance with current practice.

Selection
4. All applications must be shortlisted against published criteria
5. Only EEA and ‘settled***’ applicants should be invited to interview in the first instance (n.b. Post Study Work Visa does not count for inclusion in this category)
6. If no applicant is successful following interview then the remaining shortlisted applicants can be considered.

***UKBA’s definition of a ‘settled worker’ is as follows:

“You are normally resident in the United Kingdom with no immigration restriction on the length of your stay. To be free of immigration restriction you must have the right of abode or indefinite leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom.”

Therefore, only applicants from the EEA, EEA family members (who have the same rights as EEA nationals) or outside of the EEA with indefinite leave to remain or citizenship can be shortlisted.
If you would like any further information or clarification please contact Lynn Howarth in the first instance.

 

Events

 Satisfiability of Two-Variable Logics with Transitive or Equivalence Relations                                                                                                          17 Feb 10

Dr Emanuel Kieronski. University of Wroclaw

14:15, Lecture Theatre 1.4, Kilburn Building

Conjunctive Query Answering in Description Logics                         24 Feb 10

Prof Carsten Lutz. University of Bremen

14:15, Lecture Theatre 1.4, Kilburn Building

6th Annual IET/BCS Manchester Turing Lecture                                    17 Mar 10

The School of Computer Science is hosting the 6th Annual IET/BCS Manchester Turing Lecture on Wednesday 17 March 2010 at the Roscoe Lecture Theatre A.  Refreshments from 17:30, lecture at 18:00.

This year's speaker is Professor Chris Bishop, Chief Research Scientist at Microsoft Research Cambridge. Chris will be delivering a lecture titled Embracing Uncertainty: The new machine intelligence.  The lecture promises to offer a fascinating insight into the field of machine learning and how uncertainty can be modelled and quantified using probabilities.

The lecture is open to BCS and IET members, University staff and students and the general public. Following the talk the IET are hosting a networking buffet at Manchester Museum where delegates will get the chance to meet Chris.

Further information and registration is available here

Please note that this lecture is free to attend but there is a small charge if you wish to attend the buffet reception.

ACM-BCS Visions of Computer Science Conference                  13-16 April 10

International Academic Research Conference: ACM-BCS Visions of Computer Science, Edinburgh University

Website

Conference Registration (including Grand Challenges):

·        Students £30

·        ACM/BCS/BCS Academy £90

·        Others £130

 

Funding Opportunities

Reminder for the following:

European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Investigators Grant Call for Applications                                                                                                    24 Feb 10

Applicants for the prestigious ERC Advanced Grant are expected to be active researchers who have a track-record of significant research achievements in the last 10 years. Although there are no restrictions regarding age, nationality, or current place of residence, the Principal Investigators should be exceptional leaders in terms of originality and significance of their research contributions. Principal Investigators of Advanced Grant proposals will be expected to demonstrate a record of achievements appropriate to their field(s) of research. Potential Principal Investigators may include leading scientists in Europe and those of the European community overseas or non-Europeans wishing to establish themselves in Europe to pursue ground-breaking, high-risk research that opens new directions in their respective research fields or other domains.

ERC Advanced Grants allow exceptional established research leaders in any field of science, engineering and scholarship to pursue frontier research of their choice.

More information