Research

Research in Computing and Mathematics

"As a mathematician, I'm often asked "Why study maths?" or "What is maths used for?" I usually reply by pointing out that although most people appreciate how critical it is to understand what causes a Tsunami, how aneurysms are formed, how stem cells evolve or how we can develop more environmentally friendly turbo engines; people are not always fully aware that the answers are currently being found by mathematicians. These areas are in fact just a small number of examples where international leading mathematics is contributing to important and challenging questions for mankind. These are just some of the externally funded research projects within which the schools staff and students are using mathematics to make a significant contribution to present understanding."

- Professor Graham Rogerson, Head of School, 2009

Researchers in the School of Computing and Mathematics have conducted research into the technology behind electronic patient records, the use of mathematics to assess the risk of tsunamis, and the design of robots to understand natural language. Our research is published in academic journals, books and international conferences, and you can find details of specific publications in the research group pages. Research conducted into the Voynich manuscript has also been published in Scientific American, Wired, and Nature.

Staff within the School are involved in a number of internationally known research projects, with Mathematics being rated 5 in the last Research Assessment Exercise.

Research in the School is focused in three main areas:

  • Applied Mathematics
  • Computer Science | Applied Probability,
  • Operational Research, and Statistics.

In Computer Science, the research areas are Computational Intelligence and Cognitive Science (CICS), Knowledge Modelling and Software Engineering.

Research in the Software Engineering group is primarily in the area of empirical software engineering– both methodological aspects and the application of empirical approaches to addressing software engineering (SE) problems. Recently, much of the research has been on evidence based software engineering (EBSE). The E-Risk project (funded by the EU), for example, is taking an evidence based approach to identifying risks in global software development, and ESBE and EPIC (funded by EPSRC),  investigated the adoption of the evidence based paradigm in software engineering. We are currently undertaking a systematic literature review (SLR) of SE studies that address the SLR methodology.

The Computational Intelligence and Cognitive Science group are involved in research into robotics, adaptive intelligent systems, the modelling and evaluation of human perception (hearing, speech and vision) and real-time image analysis and computer vision. This has included a two-year EPSRC-funded project looking into improving the processing of X-ray scanner images. A member of the group has also presented the first (and so far only) closed artificial system to pass the established statistical "ALife Test" for unbounded evolutionary dynamics: an achievement identified by Bedau, Snyder and Packard as "among the very highest priorities of the field of artificial life".

The Knowledge Modelling group conduct research into knowledge, including how to elicit it from people, how to model it, how to test it for accuracy, and how to teach it. Members of the group have applied the Verifier approach to show how the Voynich manuscript could be a hoax, as well as to astrophysics modelling and autism and dyslexia. Work is also being conducted into the categorization of Web pages, with one outcome being the production of a set of Web design guidelines.

Please see the group pages for further information, including members and contact details for potential research students.

In Applied Mathematics, the broad areas of research are fluid dynamics, solid dynamics, and wave theory, with particular emphasis on geophysical fluid dynamics, biomedicine, sound and vibration, and stability. Members of the Geophysical fluid dynamic group are involved in projects to predict tsunamis and other freak waves based on sediment from pre-historic tsunamis.

The Biomedical research group are working on research into modelling the spread of two co-existing infections, which could have profound significance for outstanding public health problems, such as HIV and tuberculosis. Members are also developing models to describe the physiological flow within the lungs of the human body. A £347k BBSRC funded project, in conjunction with the Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine, investigated the manipulation of stem cells.

The Sound and Vibration research group are working on understanding noise generated when vorticity strikes the leading edge of a fan blade in an aeroengine.

In Applied Probability and Operational Research, the main research area is applied queuing theory, which includes applications to health services. A recent project involved the development of software for modelling hydro-carbon reservoirs, with potential application for oil and gas exploration companies.

In Statistics the main research area is Medical Statistics.

Please see the group pages for further information, including members of the research groups and contact details for potential research students.

Books

A few examples of authored texts by members of the School of Computing and Mathematics can be found here.