General Information
The Department of Computer Science within the Faculty of Science and
Engineering at the University of Manchester was founded in 1965 growing
from the computer and computing research within the Departments of
Electrical Engineering and Mathematics (1946 - 1965). The Department's
original research reputation was formed by a series of machine-oriented
projects each leading to world-wide commercial exploitation of many of the
developed concepts. In more recent times, the Department has broadened its
interests with internationally recognised research groups in the areas of
CAD for computer systems, Artificial Intelligence and Formal Methods as
well as maintaining leading edge research in the original areas of digital
technology, hardware systems engineering, computer architecture and systems
software. The Department's teaching and research activities have thus
significantly expanded in breadth and depth, and yield, today, a most
comprehensive world-class computer science centre of excellence. The
Department has achieved grade 5 in all four UFC (now HEFCE) research
assessment exercises (1985, 1989, 1992 and 1996), and reflects the
sustained international standing of its research activities.
The Department currently has an academic establishment of fifty including
ten professors; Professor Ian Watson (Computer Science - Computer
Architecture), Professor Brian C. Warboys (Software Engineering) currently
Head of Department, Professor Frank H. Sumner (Computer Science - Computer
Architecture), Professor John R. Gurd (Computer Science - Computer
Architecture), Professor Stephen B. Furber (Computer Engineering),
Professor Hilary J. Kahn (Computer Science --- CAD), Professor David S.
Bree (Artificial Intelligence), Professor Howard Barringer (Computer
Science - Formal Methods), Professor Peter H.G. Aczel (Mathematical Logic
and Computing Science), Professor Alan L. Rector (Medical Informatics).
The Department is further supported by 46 HEFCE-funded ancillary staff and
a complement of around 50 contract research staff.
Research Profile
The research activities of the Department are organised under four major
headings, each briefly described below. A fuller account, however, can be
accessed through the World Wide Web pages for the Department:
http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/index.html
Computer Systems Architecture
Within Computer Systems Architecture, the major activities are centered
around the CNC (Centre for Novel Computing), the UFO (United Functions and
Objects) and the DELTA (Decoupled Latency Tolerant Architectures) groups.
The principal focus of the CNC is to study the application of novel
parallel computer architectures to the solution of real user problems and
thereby gain insight into the needs of future parallel computers. The work,
well funded through EPSRC, EC and Industrial sources, is currently centered
around the 64-processor KSR1 virtual shared memory machine mentioned above.
The UFO project aims to unite the benefits of declarative functional
programming and parallel Object Oriented programming in a framework which
provides the simplicity of implicit parallelism combined with the ability
to describe state and procedural aspects of practical computation using the
encapsulation provided by the OO approach to isolate any detrimental
effects of the latter. The UFO language is currently being implemented on
the KSR machine and there are plans to extend this to a highly parallel
experimental machine that is under development in Japan.
The DELTA project is studying the use of decoupling techniques to perform
pre-fetching in distributed memory parallel machine structures and hence
overcome the problems of the significant latencies which occur across the
networks of highly extensible parallel architectures.
There are also a number of activities in the areas of lightweight process
operating systems, compiler technology and language implementation which
are complementary to the other projects. New interests are emerging in
areas such as hardware support for Neural Networks and the architecture of
very wide area distributed information systems. The architecture activites
are closely linked to those of the Computer Engineering area and one major
aspect of the work at Manchester, in line with our historical traditions,
is to see architectural work, both hardware and software, carried through
to practical implementation.
Computer Engineering
The Department's current research activity in the Computer Engineering area
is based around two major research groups. The AMULET group, led by
Professor Furber, has funding from UK and European sources for research
into asynchronous and low-power VLSI technologies, and in particular has
pioneered the design and implementation of asynchronous versions of the ARM
RISC microprocessors. The CAD group, led by Professor Kahn, has funding
from international sources for research into design automation and runs the
Technical Centre for EDIF, an international design interchange standard.
There are also research activities in the areas of signal processing and
optical computing, and increasing collaboration with the Computing Science
side of the Department in hardware specification, synthesis and
verification.
Future plans include establishing activities in analogue VLSI for neural
networks, with the potential for developing collaboration with the AI
group, and in hardware for the 'information superhighway', such as
real-time video compression/decompression and asynchronous transfer mode
(ATM) networking.
Computing Science
This research area relates to the theoretical underpinnings of computing.
Large computer systems, whether embodied in hardware or software, require
meticulous and methodological specification and design. The dangers of
errors in software are all too obvious from reports in the press and for
safety critical systems are becoming a cause of wide-spread concern. A
number of Computing Science projects are working on the application of
mathematical concepts to design methods.
Formal methods attempt to provide mathematical underpinning for the design
of computer systems (hardware or software). A formal method should provide
a specification language which has a firm mathematical semantics and a
development notion which has a clear concept of what needs to be proved for
a design (ultimately implementation) to satisfy its specification.
Activities in this area include specification languages and development
methods for concurrent systems (earlier work in the department contributed
to VDM which is a specification language and development method for
sequential systems), temporal logic and its use in specification and design
and specification languages specifically aimed at hardware. The METATEM
project is constructing an extensible programming environment for temporal
logic programming. Hardware Verification projects are developing
application specific theories and verification tools to provide embedded
formal support for, in particular, asynchronous digital systems design
covering aspects from architecture to gate level.
Other projects are working on specifying formal methods and tools for the
development of real time systems; on investigating the process of program
development using mathematics drawn from symbolic logic and category
theory; and on proving and justifying tractable development methods for
such parallel systems.
Information Systems and AI
There are three large research groups in the Information Systems (IS) area:
the Advanced Informatics Group (AIG), the Informatics Process Group (IPG),
and the Medical Informatics Group (MIG).
The AIG group, led by Dr. Hubbold, conducts research into the use of
advanced human-computer interfaces such as Virtual Reality and stereo
displays, for the solution of real-world problems. Recently the Department
has invested heavily in setting up an Advanced Interfaces Laboratory
equipped with stereoscopic and 3-D projection facilities as well as virtual
reality gloves, head displays,etc.
The IPG, led by Professor Warboys, and well funded through EPSRC, EC and
Industry, researches the engineering of organisational processes and their
effective support through process-knowledgable technologies. It has
installed a number of state of the art process definition and enactment
tools which support the work on both process-theory and its application to
the real-world problems of people and software tool co-ordination.
The MIG group, led by Prof. Rector, with principal funding through UK and
European sources, is concerned with the application of IT to Medical
problems. It is well known for its development of the Pen&Pad Expert System
and seeks to exploit and integrate technologies in the areas of AI, HCI and
Multi-Media Databases.
The Artificial Intelligence area, led by Professor Bree, is
interdisciplinary, with strong links to other departments in the
University, e.g. Medicine, Psychology, Linguistics and Modern Languages,
and with groups in the Department, e.g. Informatics Process, Advanced
Interfaces and Computing Science.
The thrust of the Medical Informatics projects, which are carried out
together with staff in the Information Systems area, is to combine AI
methods with Data Base techniques for the development of an information
system for entering and maintaining medical records. The main AI results of
this project will be the development of a new form of knowledge
representation suitable for domains in which the basic concepts refer to
objects with complex relationships, e.g. where parts can be broken without
the whole being broken, or where data need to be time and author stamped.
How such concepts should be represented in a lexicon suitable for a natural
language interface to such a system is also being undertaken. Research in
Categorial Grammar has also been an active area and current research on the
acquisition of such grammars from children's story books is underway.
The semantics of natural language, in particular temporal and spatial
terms, is also the concern of the AI group and a prototype system for
translating from English to a representation into an appropriate temporal
logic (being developed for the purpose --- with help from staff in the
Computing Science area), is currently being built. Empirical research into
these terms in other languages is being studied in collaboration with the
Department of German.
Research in Neural Networks has EPSRC funding: one project is concerned
with the development of new algorithms for unsupervised learning in neural
nets, another for the modelling of aspects of the mind, in particular
short-term verbal memory. Neural nets are also used for experiments into
mobile robots, in particular a large (64 Kilo) Nomad robot. Research is
aimed at developing an architecture within which robots can learn to
navigate in any environment and learn to perform simple tasks requiring
locomotion. The Department is investing in this area as a potential growth
domain.
The Manchester School of Informatics
The department has been prominent in developing within the University The
Manchester School of Informatics. The school will be the focus of
interdisciplinary research in Informatics, bringing together research and
teaching in the informatics area from many departments within the
University, e.g. Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Psychology,
Mathematics, Linguistics, Philosophy, to name a few. The school aims to be
an international centre of excellence in research and teaching in
informatics, fostering new intra- and interdisciplinary collaboration among
its constituent disciplines, developing a comprehensive portfolio of
applicable fundamental research second to none, and developing a
broad-based imaginative modular portfolio of course to attract and maintain
high quality national and international undergraduate and postgraduate
students.
General Departmental Organisation
For administrative purposes, the Department is divided into three major
Divisions, each run by a Director, who reports directly to the Head of
Department, as follows:
- The Director of Undergraduate Studies is responsible for all
academic matters relating to undergraduate students and courses;
- The Director of Research and Graduate Studies is responsible for
all academic matters relating to postgraduate students and courses
(including continuing education and training) and research;
- The Director of Resources is responsible for all non-academic
matters, including finance, personnel, computer services, engineering
services and environmental services.
The three Directors, the Chair of the Departmental Board and the Head of
Department (together with appropriate administrative assistance) form the
basis of the Departmental Management Committee.
Undergraduate
The Department offers a number of three-year single honours programmes
leading to the degree of BSc, e.g. Computer Science, Computer Engineering,
Computing and Information Systems and Artificial Intelligence (all of these
courses are also available as a four-year course with a year spent in
industry); a four-year single honours sponsored programme in Computer
Science leading to BSc, MEng is also available.
A three year joint honours programme is offered with the Department of
Mathematics: Computer Science and Mathematics. Programmes in Computer
Science with a foreign language, and Compurter Science with Business and
Management were possible from October 1994.
Currently, the Department admits around 220 (single and joint honours)
undergraduate students per year.
The Department was rated excellent in the HEFCE's recent Teaching Quality
Assessment exercise.
Research and Graduate
Considerable support for the Department's research arises through projects
funded by SERC, the DTI, the European Community (ESPRIT) and industry.
However, the Department is fortunate enough to be able to pump-prime
research initiatives, sometimes to a considerable extent. For example, a
KSR1-32 virtual shared memory parallel supercomputer was funded in a major
way by the Department to support the activities of the Centre for Novel
Computing and of other research projects (internal and joint
interdisciplinary). Industrial collaboration has always been a strong
feature of the Department's activity; in recent times there have been major
involvements in a number of Alvey, IED and DTI funded projects including
the two largest (Flagship and IPSE 2.5). Many of these collaborations have
continued under the EC's Third Framework programme. The department is
active in the EC's Fourth Framework programme.
The Department has sought to extend its collaboration with industry in
other directions. One significant activity has been the establishment of a
Post Experience Vocational Education (PEVE) unit with five full-time staff
who, together with expertise from the Department's full-time academics,
mount courses for industry over a wide range of topics and technical
levels.
Teaching within the graduate division covers five MSc programmes, each with
a six month taught and six month research element (MSc by Method I), as
well as MSc (MSc by Method II/MPhil) and PhD programmes by research alone.
Of the taught programmes, an MSc in Advanced Computer Science is offered
covering topics related to hardware and software system design. The
programme covers computer architecture, communications, VLSI, parallelism
in software, programming language concepts, graphics and image processing,
human-computer interfaces and AI. A conversion course (MSc in Computer
Science) is available for students with science but non computing
backgrounds. There are also joint MSc's in Cognitive Science and Numerical
Analysis with other departments. In October 1994, a joint masters'
programme with the Business School was started which leads to the degree of
MBI. Currently, the Department admits about 65 taught MSc students (FTEs)
per year and there are around 51 students (FTEs) pursuing research leading
to the degree of MSc or PhD.
Resources
Most of the computing requirements of the staff are fulfilled internally:
the Department operates around 400 Sun workstations with associated
fileservers for most teaching and research work; smaller groups of many
different machines, including Macintoshes, PC's, and Ataris; a dual
processor ICL Estriel mainframe, a 14-node ICL EDS (ICL Goldrush
prototype), an ICL Flagship prototype and the KSR1-64 parallel
supercomputer. A new 100Mb plus FDDI local network is currently being
installed, which together with additional ATM capability will provide
excellent networking infrastructure for the next five year period. The
Department's internal computer network is used very heavily to support
teaching, research and administrative facilities, and has excellent
connections to the rest of the campus, to other UK organisations, both
academic and industrial, and to world-wide networks.
The Department also houses excellent engineering laboratories and
facilities to support computer engineering research and teaching, including
a large in-house PCB fabrication unit, CAD and VLSI design laboratories,
and mechanical workshop facilities.
Personnel Management
The Department operates a line-management system, under which each academic
and academic related member of staff reports (directly or indirectly)
through a Professor to the Head of Department. Staff are managed by senior
members of the academic staff. It is departmental policy to promote the
best use of its staff by allowing them to realise their full potential
through the provision of appropriate training and development activities.
The departmental line-management scheme requires annual Appraisal and
Development interviews for staff.
Application
Application forms for university jobs are available from:
Applications, including the names of two referees and a curriculum vitae,
should be returned to the Director of Personnel by the closing date
specified in the post, quoting the relevant job reference
number. Interviews for shortlisted candidates will take place shortly
thereafter.