Post on 29-Dec-2015
InformaticsSchool Overview
Key Facts
UK Research Assessment Exercise:• 69% more world leading research than nearest competitor• 44% more world leading + internationally excellent• 10% of all UK world leading researchStaff and students:
90 Academic staff 150 Postdoc researchers 280 PhD students 215 Masters level students 450 Undergraduates (approx. 200 in 1st year)
Teaching awards in 2010:• Voted Best School in EUSA poll of over 3000 students)• Top in Guardian League table for teaching excellenceResearch spend ≈ £10MNon-research spend ≈ £9M
Foundations for a new science
The science of information – how natural and artificial systems process, store and communicate information
A fundamental science underpinning all areas of life - Academic, Industrial and Social.
Encompasses sub-disciplines such as Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science
This broad view of informatics is necessary because: Big technological problems are multi-disciplinary Big societal problems demand integrative science
Formation of the School
Computer Science
Cognitive Science
Artificial Intelligence
AIAI
HCRC
LFCS
Departments
LFCS
School
ICCS
ICSA
IPAB
ANC
CISA AIAI
HCRC
ITO
Grad. School
Theory of computation
Computer systems
Brain and learning
Language and cognitionRobotics and vision
Knowledge and agents
Res
earc
hA
dmin
Institute Statistics
Interdisciplinary Centres
Centre for Speech Technology Research
Centre for Neuroscience Research
Digital Curation Centre
Institute for System Level Integration
Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre
National e-Science Centre
Centre for Numerical Algorithms and Intelligent Software
Centre for Systems Biology at EdinburghInformatics
Linguistics
Law
Engineering
Physics
Biology
Medicine
Maths
Teaching
Informatics 1 Maths 1 Additional
Informatics 2 Maths 2 Additional
3rd year modules
4th year modules Honours thesis
1 year MSc
4 year Honours UG
Strategic issues:•Continuing to raise quality (admitted and graduated)•Engagement with other disciplines in teaching•Change in demands on course structure•Change in expectations of those being educated•Developing the “computational thinking” ethos
Head of School
TeachingComputingResearch Grad School
Deputy Teaching
HR Commercialisation KM & Outreach
Directors
Senior DoS
Directorsof studies
Directorsof studies
Courseorganisers
Courseorganisers
PGselectors
PGselectors
Curriculum/QA
UGselectors
UGselectors
Top-level management is via a board of directors:
• Directors of research oversee our major research initiatives.• Director of computing provides academic oversight of computing support.• Director of staff recruitment & development oversees our HR activities.• Director of graduate school oversees our graduate school activities.• Director of commercialisation coordinates our commercial activities.• Director of teaching develops teaching strategy and oversees the ITO academic team• Director of knowledge management coordinates information management
Academic Management
Chief Administrator
Head of ITOCommercialisation and Outreach
ITOITOIGSIGSCommercialisationand outreach
Commercialisationand outreach
Head of Computing
Computingsupport
Computingsupport
Head of School
HRHR
Institutefront-offices
Top-level management responsible for support groups divided by function.Front-offices service provided by:
• Research front-offices providing day-to-day support on floors of the Forum.• IGS office for PG research students• ITO office for taught course students
Back-office research, finance and HR services brought together.Portfolio teams within research grouping maintain familiarity with subgroups of researchers (e.g. institutes).Graduate School and ITO brought together.Commercialisation and outreach support combined.
Deputy Chief Administrator (research)
Research and financeResearch and finance
Deputy Chief Administrator (teaching)
Portfolio teams
Schooloffice
Schooloffice
Administrative/Computing Management
TeachingComputing Research Grad SchoolHR Commercialisation KM
Academic/Commercial Directors
Deputy Chief Administrator (teaching)
Deputy Chief Administrator (reasearch)
Commercialisation& Outreach
Administrative/Computing Directors
Computing
Each academic director has a counterpart in the support organisation.This is the top-level interface between academic and support groups.A top-level support director runs the administration of each of the main School committees.
Planning & Resources
Computingcommittee
Teachingcommittee
Board ofStudies
Grad Schoolcommittee
Institutecommittees
Outreachcommittee
Head of School Chief Administrator
Top-Level Committee Structure
Memberof staff
ITO
IGS
Commercialisationand outreach
HR
Schooloffice
Institutefront-office
Researchportfolio team
Computing
commercial contractspublic engagement
day-to-day supportaccommodation
computing issuescomputing advice
course admin issuesDoS support
research student adminresearch student recruitment
research project supportfinancial aspects of research
issues for Head of Schoolissues for Chief Administrator
development supportwork permits etc.
Staff Perspective
Recruitment and Promotion
Recruitment Process:•The School maintains a list of strategic areas for recruitment.
Currently these are: cognitive science; computer networks; computer vision; data intensive research; large scale knowledge systems; operating systems; software engineering
•Strategic areas are aligned to the opportunity when funding becomes available
•All academic posts are advertised in open competition
Promotion and career development:•Annual appraisal for all staff•For academic staff, an issue is progression to Professor•For research staff, an issue is competing for academic posts•Startup company route is becoming much more common
Workload
Typical workload:•1.5 lecture courses (30 lectures) per year•2 tutorial groups (20 tutorials) per year•3 PhD students in steady state (1 new student per year)•3 MSc student projects•1 Honours UG project•1 significant research grant
Allocating duties:•Aim for typical workload for everyone•Adjust individual components depending on specific case•Effort not quantified but allocation to duties is public•Wide variation in specific cases
Broader Initiatives, Now Mature
Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance:•A Scottish research pooling initiative• Involves Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews as core with
(almost) all Scottish universities as partners•Funded 10 new academic staff in Informatics•Funds 20 PhD students across SICSA (competition)
ProspeKT and Informatics Ventures:•Funds entrepreneurial training and events•Funds Business Development executives who work with
institutes•Brings in advisors and mentors from MIT/Stanford, etc.
Examples of New Initiatives
Pump priming activities:• iDEAlab•College workshops
Strategic activities:•FET-Flagships•CS Doctoral Training Centre
Outreach activities:•Design-Informatics•e-Research
Funding Climate
Change in UK Funding Landscape
RAE 2001 RAE 2008
UK RCs 103 249
EU 57 106
Industry 38 47
Increase in government research funding to UK computing research departments over previous 10 years (values in £M)
Sharp decrease in UK research council funding expected post-2010. Effects at EPSRC probably will be:• Reduction in “responsive mode” research funding• Focus on thematic research• Clawback of some existing funding
UK government approach to funding is likely to become “absorptive” and for clear economic gain.
Strong possibility that cap on teaching fees charged for UK undergraduates may be raised/abolished.
Sources of Research Funding
Application Volume v Success Rate
Staff Profile
Academic Strategy
Defend the core
Target timely areas
Encourage more “systems”
Produce T-shaped students
Increase social engagement
Help UK funders to support theory
Support theory integrators inside School
Develop shared strategies with funders
Develop shared themes with other Schools
Influence large UK/EU systems challenges
Encourage systems designers in School
Develop Design-Informatics Centre
Extend existing entrepeneurial initiative
Engage more strongly with social challenges
Make our teaching more outward facing
Structural/Administrative Issues
• Make research administration run more effectively by consolidating Informatics Research Organisation.
• Strengthen our policy of recruiting and retaining only the most talented staff in strategic areas (especially in emerging areas) by planning strategic appointments to a 3-year horizon, focusing on “new blood” junior appointments.
• Develop support for long term career development of research funded staff, through better mentoring and review.
• Ensure that institutes remain lightweight administratively, and find ways to make the institute structure more fluid without breaking the social groupings.