Department of CS newsletter

Our next inaugural research seminar will take place on June 12th at 1400 in LT1.3. Hongpeng Zhou will speak on “Sparse Bayesian Deep Learning for System Identification”. As usual, this will be followed by a social gathering in the common room.

The Manchester Prize Event and the Advances in Data Science & AI Conference

It was great seeing colleagues at the recent Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Manchester Prize finalists ceremony at the Whitworth recently. Thank you to those involved in the shortlisting. You can read about the 10 finalists here: https://manchesterprize.org/

The Advances in Data Science & AI Conference organised by the Institute for Data Science and AI at the Hyatt earlier this week was a great success again and provided lots of opportunity for catching up with colleagues across the University, the city region, and beyond interested in AI, ML, NLP, Robotics and much more besides. Many thanks to the many of you who were involved in presenting, chairing, and organising the event.

Lord Renwick Memorial Lecture

Finally, in case you missed it, the recording is now available of the Third Lord Renwick Memorial Lecture delivered by Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt from the University of Oxford who spoke on As If Human: the Regulation, Governance, and Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.

https://www.dpalliance.org.uk/2024-third-lord-renwick-memorial-lecture/

Andrew

Starting conversations with our students about their learning and our teaching is one of my priorities. As a start I teamed up with UniCS to create teaching-related awards for just Computer Science. The aim was to highlight what colleagues do that is valued by our students, to provide positive feedback, to identify examples of good practice, but also to get the students to start thinking about what they like. The text of nominations has been shared with the thirty plus colleagues concerned. Almost 200 students participated in determining the winners of individual awards, which are (with honourable mentions in brackets):

• Terry Morley (Jim Garside) for Support
• Sean Bechhofer (Christoforos Moutafis) for Engagement
• Tingting Mu (Tom Carroll) for Exceptional Ability to Explain
• Steve Pettifer (Paul Nutter) for Exceptional Teaching Sessions
• Riza Batista Navarro for Learning Environment
• Joe Razavi (Jim Garside) for Exceptional Practical Sessions
• Anirbit Mukherjee (Stewart Blakeway) for Project Supervisor

There were two exceptional awards, one for Career Advice for Duncan Hull, and one for Student Society Support which went jointly to Louise Dennis and Paul Nutter.  (There was also an award for Teaching Materials that went to me.) Congratulations to everybody who was nominated, and well done in particular to those listed above.

Many of you put much thought and effort into your teaching, and it's great to see some of that being recognized. We do appreciate that not everybody will have been on students' radars for this year, but the intention is to make this an annual event. The intention is for this to become part of a broader discussion with our students, which will allow us to do more to incorporate their voice.

Andrea

[from ResIT News 05-Jun-24]

                                            
There have recently been some changes to the way we cost for Research Software Engineer effort in grant applications.  All Research Support Offices have been notified of the change and the new model should now be used. We hope that the changes offer more flexibility and choice to the research community.   

Read More [researchitnews.us13.list-manage.com]

About Us:
At Nova, we are revolutionizing the food industry through the power of artificial intelligence. Our mission is to innovate and streamline food production, distribution, and consumption by leveraging cutting-edge technology. As a university startup, we are looking for bright, optimistic, and driven individuals to join our team and help us transform our vision into reality.

Open Positions:
We are currently seeking to fill four software engineering roles:

1. Frontend Software Engineers (3 positions)
2. Backend Software Engineer (1 position)

Frontend Software Engineer
Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain user-friendly mobile apps using modern JavaScript frameworks (e.g., React Native).
• Collaborate with design and backend teams to create seamless user experiences.
• Optimize applications for maximum speed and scalability.
• Implement responsive design and ensure cross-browser compatibility.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with React Native.
• Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Git).
• Knowledge of RESTful APIs and integration with backend services.
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Previous internship or project experience in frontend development is a plus.

Backend Software Engineer
Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain server-side logic, ensuring high performance and responsiveness.
• Design and implement robust APIs to support frontend functionalities.
• Manage database systems, ensuring data integrity and security.
• Collaborate with frontend engineers to define and implement technical solutions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with backend programming languages (e.g., Node.js, Python, Java).
• Proficiency in database technologies (e.g., SQL, NoSQL).
• Familiarity with cloud services and deployment (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud).
• Strong understanding of software development methodologies and best practices.
• Previous internship or project experience in backend development is a plus.

General Requirements:

• Currently enrolled in or recently graduated from a university program in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Passion for the food industry and AI-driven solutions.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
• Eagerness to learn, grow, and contribute to a dynamic startup environment.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of an innovative and fast-growing startup with a mission to make a significant impact on the food industry.
• Work in a collaborative and inclusive environment that values creativity and hard work.
• Gain hands-on experience and grow your skills with cutting-edge technologies.
• Opportunity to work remotely or in a flexible workspace.

How to Apply:
If you are passionate about technology and excited about making a difference in the food industry, we would love to hear from you! Please send your resume to novaframetemp@gmail.com. Alternatively, you may also fill out the form by clicking here.

Join us on our journey to transform the food industry with AI. Let’s build the future together!

Intention to submit deadline: 14-Jun-2024
Webinar  ‘Introducing the Faraday Discovery Fellowships' (running twice): 12 June at 10am BST and 27 June at 4pm BS

 

The Royal Society have recently announced a new mid-Career Fellowship: Faraday Discovery Fellowships | Royal Society for applicants with 10-20 years research experience post-PhD or equivalent research experience (exceptional candidates with fewer years’ experience will be considered). Candidates who have had changes in discipline or research direction, or time working on industrial research, will be welcomed. As standard, career breaks and non-linear career paths will be taken into consideration. 

Up to 7 of these 10-year Fellowships per year are expected, with 7 annual rounds to run.

The Royal Society are not imposing any demand management at this stage, although they are advising Universities to undertake some form of sifting to ensure all applicants are competitive. As such, the Faculty is seeking expressions of interest from potential candidates, with the following suggested timeline:

 

• Friday 14^th June:                              Candidate to inform their RSM sarah.chatwin@manchester.ac.uk and klaudia.januszewska@manchester.ac.uk of intention to submit an EoI
• Friday 5^th July (midday):               Expressions of interest to be emailed to Daniel.twiddy@manchester.ac.uk
• Friday 19^th July:                                Supported UoM candidates to be confirmed
• Wednesday 14^th August               Stage 1 opens
• Wednesday 2^nd October             Submission deadline, Stage 1 closes

 

In order to identify our most competitive candidates, the faculty is requesting a short CV and Expression of Interest to include:

• CV – maximum 3 sides of A4, to include details of the applicant’s track record, wider contributions to research, research impact and research culture as well as details of research appointments. These contributions might include public engagement, schools’ engagement, knowledge exchange, mentoring, industry collaboration, team leadership, patents, commercialisation or broader business activity, peer review and committee membership.
• Publications – please list your top 10 most significant publications.
• Personal statement (1 side of A4): Please provide a statement to highlight your major achievements (including prizes) and the difference securing this award would make to you, the host department and University as well as the research community in the UK. Please confirm your current teaching and admin duties and clearly explain how the Faraday Discovery Fellowship (and relocation to the UK if applicable) will make a difference in terms of your research and specifically what it will enable you to do which is currently not possible
• Research Vision (1 side of A4): Please provide an overview of the proposed research, include the vision and the key research questions to be addressed. The challenges, feasibility, risk and key outcomes should also be highlighted in this section

Please do not use a text size smaller than Arial 11, with margins of at least 2cm.

 

Full sift information also available through Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowships 2024 - Internal review Timeline and Process

FSE Research Services Sharepoint Site – access information and resources to navigate research application and award processes (such as that above). You can find contact details for the RS team and lots of other useful information.