Lectureship In Human Computer Interaction

We seek applications for a SICSA lectureship in Human Computer Interaction or a closely related area. We welcome applications from excellent researchers in any relevant area who are keen to cooperate with others within St Andrews Computer Human Interaction (SACHI) and the School of Computer Science. We are especially, but not exclusively, interested in those working in HCI and:

Input and Interaction methods
Information Visualisation or other techniques relevant to Data Science (e.g. machine learning)
Ubiquitous Computing or Systems
Digital Humanities

You should have a PhD, a period of postdoctoral experience and have an outstanding research record as demonstrated by publications and research funding. You must be willing to cooperate with other researchers across Scotland and contribute to the work of SICSA, especially its Human Computer Interaction theme, and to teach in any area of Computer Science. Teaching is important to us and you should be a committed teacher, with appropriate experience.

Candidates interested in this post are welcome to informally contact the Head of School (Steve Linton hos-cs@st-andrews.ac.uk) to discuss possible options. For informal discussion on St Andrews Computer Human Interaction, please contact Professor Aaron Quigley aquigley@st-andrews.ac.uk. We would welcome interaction with any established groups wishing to move to St Andrews.
Information on how to apply.

MSc Summer Barbecue

MSc students take time out of their busy schedule to enjoy a summer BBQ. A sunny July day presented an opportunity to relax and reflect on all their hard work, before submitting their dissertations. Later this month they will present their posters, and demonstrate their project artefacts. We look forward to viewing the culmination of a journey that started a year ago.

Images courtesy of MSc students.

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Big data, the Cloud and the future of computing by Dr Kenji Takeda, Microsoft Research

Abstract: We live in an information society, with cloud computing is changing the way we live, work and play in a world of devices and services. In this talk we’ll explore what, why and how this new era of computing is changing the way we think about conceiving, developing and delivering software and services. We’ll then look at how the concept of Big Data is transforming science, and the opportunities it presents for the future.

Bio: Dr Kenji Takeda is Solutions Architect and Technical Manager in Microsoft Research. He is currently focussed on Azure for Research and Environmental Science tools and technologies. The Azure for Research programme currently supports over 300 projects worldwide, including two at the University of St Andrews – see

http://www.azure4research.com

Kenji has extensive experience in Cloud Computing, High Performance and High Productivity Computing, Data-intensive Science, Scientific Workflows, Scholarly Communication, Engineering and Educational Outreach. He has a passion for developing novel computational approaches to tackle fundamental and applied problems in science and engineering.

Event details

  • When: 5th August 2014 14:00 - 15:00
  • Where: Cole 1.33a
  • Series: School Seminar Series
  • Format: Seminar

Finalist in Scottish Software Engineer of the Year

Congratulations to St Andrews student Simone Ivan Conte, who has been selected as one of the four finalists in the Young Software Engineer of the Year Award 2014.

Simone’s project (pictured below) involved creating a haptic device and API for displaying vector graphics (e.g., trees and graphs) for people with visual disabilities. According to his Senior Honours dissertation supervisor, Dr. Miguel Nacenta

this work demonstrates a lot of ingenuity and has a large potential impact.

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The Young Software Engineer of the Year Awards are given for the best undergraduate software projects completed by students studying computer science and software engineering in Scotland.

Simone graduated in Computer Science from St Andrews earlier this year and is currently working for Adobe on a summer internship. In September he will start his doctoral studies, funded by Adobe, with Professor Alan Dearle at St Andrews.

Previous finalists and prize winners have included Thomas Grimes, Alistair Scott, Craig Paul, Angus MacDonald, Ben Catherall and Graeme Bell. Further testament to the quality of talented students graduating from the School of Computer Science.

The winners of this year’s award will be revealed on 2nd October 2014! Fingers crossed.

Teaching Fellow in Computer Science

Applications are invited for a Teaching Fellow in Computer Science in the School of Computer Science. In the first instance, at least, this is a fixed-term position of nine months with a start date of September 2014. We require a Teaching Fellow to assist with the development and delivery of high quality, innovative teaching. Applicants should have at least a BSc in Computer Science, preferably a PhD, and previous lecturing and tutorial experience at undergraduate level. Preferably they should also be able to demonstrate ability to deliver a range of core Computer Science courses, in particular within the field of HCI, in classroom, laboratory and small-group tutorial environments; experience in the development of innovative material for learning and teaching; and/or experience of contributing to pedagogical studies in the sciences. Information on how to apply.

An award and a PhD for Iain Parris

Iain Parris had a busy week at the end of June. On Monday 30 June he travelled to Madrid for the 6th International Workshop on Hot Topics in Peer-to-peer computing and Online Social neTworking (HotPOST), where his paper Friend or Flood? Social prevention of flooding attacks in mobile opportunistic networks won the best paper award. He then returned to St Andrews on Wednesday to defend his PhD thesis on Practical privacy and security for opportunistic networks. Fortunately he wasn’t too tired from his travels and his examiners, Dr Mike Just and Professor Aaron Quigley agreed that he should pass with minor corrections. The examiners and the soon-to-be Dr Parris are pictured.

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MSc in Dependable Software Systems (DESEM) Summer School

The summer school has the purpose of gathering together the students, lecturers, scholars and industries involved in DESEM, and provide a framework for interaction through talks, presentations, field-trips and social activities.

This year’s summer school is hosted by the University of St Andrews, in Scotland, from the Tuesday 1st July, to the Monday 7th July.

http://desem.cs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.html

Event details

  • When: 1st July 2014 09:15 - 7th July 2014 12:30
  • Where: Cole 1.33a
  • Format: Summer School

Computer Science: Graduation 2014

Congratulations to the Senior Honours Class of 2014, our MSci (Honours) students and our PhD students, who graduate today. Students were invited to a reception in the School to celebrate their achievement with staff, friends and family. Our graduates will move on to a wide variety of interesting and challenging employment and further study opportunities, and we wish them all well with their future careers.

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Images courtesy of Saleem Bhatti and Lisa Dow