School of CS newsletter

We are combining a HoS coffee morning and charity bake sale to raise Project Malawi, with a 'meet the finance team' event at 10.30am on Thursday 26th April in the staff common room.

This is to provide School staff with an opportunity to meet informally with colleagues from the new Faculty finance hub. Please do come along to say hello and ask any questions you might have.

2018 PSS, Library and Cultural Insitutions' Distinguised Achievement Awards

More congratulations, this time for Lynn Howarth who has been highly commended in this year's 2018 PSS, Library and Cultural Institutions' Distinguished Achievement Awards in recognition of her exceptional contribution to the School.

Lynn has been in the School for thirty five years and been Executive Assistant for nine of the ten Heads of School. I cannot praise Lynn's role in the School highly enough, but here I try to do so.

Again, I'm sure you'll join me in congratulating Lynn on this achievement and thanking her for all she does for us in the School and beyond in the wider University.

The call is open for Turing Fellows.

Details may be found via http://www.datascience.manchester.ac.uk/news/announcements/alan-turing-institute-call-for-turing-fellows/

Interested researchers can apply by emailing dsi.enquiries@manchester.ac.uk. The closing date is Monday 30th April.

Some words from the Alan Turing Institute are as follows: "Turing Fellows are scholars with proven research excellence in data science, artificial intelligence, or a related field, whose research would be significantly enhanced through active involvement with the Turing network of universities and partners. They will be invited to contribute to the activities and training at the core of the Institute’s mission through their research and involvement. They are expected to bring to the Turing ideas or proposals for new collaborative projects with the potential to secure external funding, or research expertise which aligns with an existing Turing research project. The normal tenure of a Turing Fellow is one to two years; individuals may apply for renewal. The Alan Turing Institute invites the submission of expressions of interests for Turing Fellowships from academic staff and senior researchers at one of its eleven partner universities. Turing Fellows are selected on the basis of their ability to contribute outstanding research which supports the Institute’s current challenge areas (or, exceptionally, proposes new ones); and to establish ongoing, sustainable research activities."

Observation test:

This plaque has been found during the building works.

Did you ever notice it anywhere in the Kilburn Building, and if so do you know what was opened?

Answers to Jim.Miles@manchester.ac.uk. The lucky winner gets a tin of Brasso, a cloth and an exciting new role. Answer to be published in the next Newsletter.

The call for Stage 1 Skills Development Fellowship (SDF) applications has been extended for FSE staff and is open until 25 April.

The SDFs are three-year training fellowships that support early to mid-career researchers to explore, consolidate and further develop their skills in an MRC priority area in which they are already active or in which they are seeking training. It also aims to support researchers at all career stages who wish to transform their career by developing new skills in a priority area.

From 2017, the MRC has changed the way in which candidates apply for an SDF position. The University of Manchester is now, in partnership with the MRC, advertising a call for applications for one early career Skills Development Fellowship. For this award, we welcome applications from all MRC Priority Skills areas within the quantitative skills theme:

• Mathematics
• Statistics
• Computation
• Informatics
• Health economics
• Mixed methods research applicable to any biomedical or health related data sources, from molecular to population level.

In keeping with the MRC’s priorities for this scheme, The University of Manchester is seeking to attract, identify and recruit high-quality early career fellows with either quantitative or biological science backgrounds. In particular, we are seeking to attract candidates from non-biomedical subjects (such as mathematics, computer science or economics).

The scheme is described in more detail here: https://www.mrc.ac.uk/skills-careers/fellowships/skills-development-fellowships/

It is anticipated that successful fellows will take up post between September 2018 – Match 2019.

To download an application form for stage 1, please visit: https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/research/support/fellowships/mrc-sdf

Please note the web link states that the call is closed – please work to the deadline of 25 April, 12 noon.

The deadline for stage 2 applications, should you be shortlisted to proceed, is 1 June 2018. Interviews will take place during the first week of July 2018.

All enquiries should be directed to Katy Boyle, FBMH Fellowship Academy Manager.

Research Lifecycle survey results and Q&A session

The results of the Research Lifecycle Programme’s ‘Thought Exchange’ survey have now been released, and are available in Newsletter 5 on the programme’s news page. Thank you to everyone who sent us their thoughts.

We’d also like to invite University staff and students with an interest in research to attend our next 1-hour open house event on Thursday 3 May, for more information and the opportunity to ask questions to the programme team.

·         Research Lifecycle Programme news page

·         Register for May’s open house event