School of CS newsletter

Finding new ways to Think : Twenty Years in Machine Learning

Wednesday 21st March, 5:30pm (drinks/buffet to follow)

University of Manchester Kilburn Building Lecture Theatre 1.1

To book:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fse-inaugural-lecture-series-professor-gavin-brown-tickets-43088746601

Abstract:

Machine Learning is changing the world. But it's still a young field, compared to the classical science and engineering disciplines. The exciting potential for the field has created a veritable sandstorm of new ideas and papers, increasing all the time.

Since I started my PhD in 1998, my time has focused on finding new ways to think, to see a clear path through that sandstorm. My team has found connections and built bridges that unify seemingly disparate parts of the literature - we've created principles, theories, and frameworks that simplify the field. This has enabled new directions, from stronger foundations. This lecture will review some highlights, where we've built bridges from deep learning to statistical feature selection, from there to computer architectures and reproducible research, and from medical drug trials to domestic violence.

In support of our ambition to become a world-leading institution, The University of Manchester is making significant strategic investments in current and new staff.

Investing in Success

The University is launching another round of Investing in Success, a scheme first introduced in 2012 for staff to apply for funding to explore ideas, create new projects, invest in their personal development and enhance the contribution that they make to the University. Investing in Success 2018 builds on the earlier scheme which funded over 150 projects in support of the University’s goals. If you’d like to launch a project, engage in a new activity, or realise a professional ambition, Investing in Success could enable you to develop your potential and support the University. Applications of up to £10,000 will be considered. Led by the Staff Learning and Development team, the scheme is open to paid staff regardless of their grade, role or contract type, subject to eligibility criteria. A total fund of £1 million is available across the University. Karen Heaton, Director of Human Resources, said: “Investing in Success gives us the chance to celebrate the commitment that our staff have to advancing our University and to their personal and professional development. In 2012 it was wonderful to see the creativity, passion and innovation that inspired many of the Investing in Success projects and I look forward to seeing many more imaginative projects supported in 2018.” You may have an innovative idea that could enhance the way you work and enable you to be better at what you do, or perhaps you’d like to attend a conference overseas. In that case, visit the Investing in Success website for details of the scheme, application information and eligibility criteria: Investing in Success

The University of Manchester Presidential Fellowships

The University of Manchester is inviting new academic talent from across the world to apply for the prestigious University of Manchester Presidential Fellowships, through which 100 appointments will be made across a range of disciplines and research areas in all Faculties. The President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, said: “I am delighted to announce the launch of The University of Manchester Presidential Fellowships. The time is right for us to invest in the brightest new academic talent to further strengthen our research profile, and these new Fellowship schemes will help us to continue on our path to becoming a world-leading university. Investing in new talent will help to support our core goals of research and teaching excellence.” These Fellowships are designed for early career academics who can deliver world-leading research and teaching, and become the inspiring leaders of the future. We are looking for imaginative and innovative individuals with a growing reputation in research, the knowledge needed to develop exemplary programmes and methodologies, and a commitment to teaching and wider engagement. Professor Rothwell continued: “As an early career academic, it can be challenging to get the dedicated time and resource to gain research independence, and so the Presidential Fellowships are intended to bridge this gap by providing awards with dedicated research time and funding. We are offering an excellent package to potential candidates to attract the brightest future academic leaders to join our University.” There is an international marketing campaign supporting the Fellowships.

Presidential Fellowships Applications for the Fellowships must be submitted by Tuesday, 3 April 2018.

Next week the University will be making a further announcement about the allocation of money from the University’s portfolio of endowment funds. This allocation of funds will support a range of projects which will help the University achieve its strategic ambitions.

The University of Manchester’s Data Science Institute would like to invite colleagues to Advances in Data Science 2018 on 21st & 22nd May.

Co-organised by The University of Manchester’s Data Science Institute and The Cathie Marsh Institute for Social Research, this is two-day meeting will present recent developments in data science with speakers include leading data scientists from industry and academia.

Following an extremely successful conference in 2017, we look forward to welcoming an international line up of speakers and delegates.

Registration for the event is now available via the link. http://www.ds-advances.org/registration

Please share the invitation with interested colleagues who would benefit from attending the conference. We would be very happy to discuss this further if you would like some more information or have any questions.

On behalf of the UKRI partners, EPSRC is pleased to confirm that additional investment in Centres for Doctoral Training will be made to support research training of relevance to Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is expected to support 10-20 CDTs.

Full call details are available here.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is developing a research and innovation infrastructure roadmap. This is a challenging task as the UK has never undertaken a road mapping exercise of this breadth and scale. It will offer enormous benefit in increasing our understanding of the UK's current capability and in planning for the future. UKRI has been asked to undertake this project by the Universities and Science Minister and it will contribute to the Government’s ambition of 2.4% UK GDP investment in R&D by 2027.

If you are interested to find out more please visit UKRI's dedicated webpage, or contact Carole Goble who recently attended the roadmap programme launch event.