Research in Computing at Edinburgh Napier University

Professor Hazel Hall

Centre for Social InformaticsInstitute for Informatics and Digital Innovation/School of Computing

14th September 2012

PROFESSORIAL LECTURE

Research in Computing at Edinburgh Napier University

A professorial lecture:

How we manage Computing research at Edinburgh Napier University

The research that we undertake Reasons to get involved with research How to develop your research profile as a student

Professors you might know already?

Murder suspect

Super heroRapper

Professors of Computing at Edinburgh Napier

Benyon BuchananHart Kennedy Hall

Readers

Al-Dubai Liu Smyth Turner

The Faculty, School & Research Institutes

The Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Creative Industries (FECCI) comprises three schools

You are a student in one of these schools: the School of Computing

You’ll meet the Professors and Readers in class (along with Lecturers and Senior Lecturers)

The Faculty, School & Research Institutes

The Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Creative Industries (FECCI) comprises three schools

You are a student in one of these schools: the School of Computing

You’ll meet the Professors and Readers in class (along with Lecturers and Senior Lecturers)

Research activity at Napier is carried out in Research Institutes

Computing research is undertaken in the Institute for Informatics & Digital Innovation (IIDI)

We find practical solutions to real-world problems.

We help address the Scottish Government goal of using innovative research to support new business development.

We cover industry sectors such as: financial services; manufacturing and logistics; health; digital markets; life sciences; energy; public sector.

Research is funded from a range of sources, e.g. UK research councils, Europe, companies, charities, national and local government

@IIDI_Napier

Time for a quick quiz

Anyone interested in astronomy?

Name the planets…

Planet B

Planet A

Planet B

Venus

Earth

Venus

Earth

Venus

Mars

Simulation of the morning sky as seen from the Curiosity Landing site on August 14th 2012http://astroblogger.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/earth-and-saturn-as-seen-from-mars-14.html

Research centre staff investigate computing from their particular perspective

How can computer security be improved?

CSI: through social solutions related to changing individual & organisational practice.

CDCNS: through technical solutions related to firewall optimisation.CID: through the

development of interface design in security systems.

Sample projects

A few as illustration

Many more on the IIDI web pages at http://www.iidi.napier.ac.uk/c/grants

Centre for Emergent Computing

Which methods of planting and harvesting forests best minimise the impact of wind damage to the trees?

Which is the best way to route delivery vehicles so that goods arrive on time & CO2 emissions are lowered?

Centre for Social Informatics

How can we improve democratic participation through new technologies?

Federated Identity

Provision

Governance

Access

LIU

Citizen

Identity

LIUAccess

LIU

Rights, Roles and Services

LIU

Health and Social Care

Statutory Health

Hospital & GP Systems

Translation Gateway (Security Policy/

ID Mapping)

Social Care and Voluntary

Overall Governance Policy/ Ontology

New Clinical Services (Trusted)

Other domains(Education, Law

Enforcement, etc)

Consumer e-HealthLIU

e-Health

eRed Book Personalised content

Hidden Talents

CIPS (Cloud Identity and

Privacy Services)

ACS (Azure Access Control Service)

Identify Provider Attribute Provider

Centre for Distributed Computing, Networking, & Security

How can we create a secure and robust information infrastructure for the sharing of individuals’ health records?

Centre for Information and Software Systems

How can we use data collected on user activity to improve computer games?

Centre for Interaction Design

What is the best way to design and engineer the next generation of interactive technologies?

What impact will these technologies have on the way that we work and live?

I get paid to travel abroad to tell others about my work.

Apart from discovering cool new things, why else do we enjoy doing research?

I get access to new technologies before everyone else does.

I meet really interesting people.

I feel a stronger connection with my subject area.

I get to explore and learn something new.

It’s great to see my work when it is published in print.

In the future I’ll be able to say “I was THERE!”

I enjoy the challenge of stretching myself.

My reputation and profile grows as my research career progresses leading to more interesting work in the future. I can be nominated

for - and win - prizes.

Yahoo! 9 August 2012

17 years old 12000 employees 700 million users per month Corporate HQ in Sunnyvale,

CA

Yahoo! 9 August 1995

5 months old 12 employees (“surfers”) 9 million users per month Housed in modest, low level,

suburban building

Yahoo! 9 August 1995

5 months old 12 employees (“surfers”) 9 million users per month Housed in modest, low level,

suburban building

I was there!

Sample students/graduates who benefited from involvement in research

A few as illustration

There are many more...

Prize winners

Check also the cabinet in C corridor: Steffanie McKenna 2011

Jamie Graves

Now: Company CEO

Then: BSc Networks and Distributed Systems, followed by PhD

Reputation and profile growth

Lorraine Paterson

Now: User experience designer at Royal London

Then: worked for CSI as a summer intern

Reputation growth through internship and publication

Buchanan Chalmers Urquhart

Now: academics

Then: Edinburgh Napier students

Interested? How to get involved

Familiarise yourself with the work of the computing researchers at Edinburgh Napier Look out for forthcoming research seminars Follow @iidi_napier on Twitter

Participate in our projects Volunteer to help when calls go out (volunteer anyway) Apply for summer internships when advertised

When you have something to show Write it up – blog, newsletter, with tutor Put yourself forward for student research related grants,

awards and prizes

Become active in the professional community

http://about.me/hazelh

• @hazelh• h.hall@napier.ac.uk