Computer Science News
Dmitry Chistikov joins the Department as a new Assistant Professor
The Department is welcoming our new Assistant Professor Dmitry Chistikov, who will be associated with the Division of Theory and Foundations (FoCS) and the Centre for Discrete Mathematics and its Applications (DIMAP).
After obtaining his Candidate of Sciences (equivalent to PhD) degree at the Department of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics of Moscow State University, Dmitry was a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems, as wel as at the University of Oxford.
The general area of Dmitry's research is theoretical computer science. In particular, he is interested in theoretical foundations of verification: its algorithmic aspects (decision and counting problems) as well as combinatorial aspects (extremal properties and characteristics of mathematical models of computation).
For more information about Dmitry's research, please see his web page.
New collaborative project on parity games
Dr Marcin Jurdzinski and Dr Ranko Lazic from Warwick's DIMAP inter-disciplinary centre and the Computer Science department, jointly with Dr Sven Schewe, Dr John Fearnley and Dr Dominik Wojtczak from the University of Liverpool, will lead a new research project on solving parity games in theory and practice, to run 2017-2020.
The project will be supported by approx. £750K from the EPSRC across the two sites. The proposal was ranked top at its funding prioritisation panel, and the reviewers said:
This is the strongest and best designed proposal on theoretical computer science I have seen in the last five years.
as well as
The proposal is about fundamental research, but there is a clear path connecting the expected results to concrete industrial needs on program verification and program synthesis.
Professor Artur Czumaj, head of DIMAP and of the Theory and Foundations research division, commented:
This exciting new EPSRC project builds on excellence in theoretical computer science for which Warwick is internationally renowned. It strengthens our collaborative links with Computer Science at Liverpool, who were likewise one of the leading departments for research outputs in the most recent REF.
EATCS Fellowship for Artur Czumaj
Professor Artur Czumaj has been made an EATCS Fellow for "contributions to analysis and design of algorithms, especially to understanding the role of randomization in computer science”.
Department of Computer Science in World's Elite
Warwick mathematician awarded prestigious mathematics award
We offer our warmest congratulations to Professor Martin Hairer, Regius Professor of Mathematics in Warwick’s Mathematics Institute, who has has been awarded the Fields Medal, the world’s most prestigious mathematics award, for his "Outstanding contributions to the theory of stochastic partial differential equations, and in particular for the creation of a theory of regularity structures for such equations."
The Fields Medal is awarded every four years on the occasion of the International Congress of Mathematicians to recognize outstanding mathematical achievement for existing work and for the promise of future achievement. The Medal is internationally regarded as the world’s most prestigious award in the field of mathematics.
IT firms hope to benefit from big data research with Warwick University partnership
As reported in 'Computer Business Review' and 'Computer World' (14/5/2014)
A new partnership between the University of Warwick and Bull Information Systems has been announced supporting IT developments in Big Data. The new partnership will allow leading research scientists from the university to work alongside business consultants and developers from one of Europe’s foremost suppliers of computing hardware, software and consulting services.
“So much has been discussed about the possibilities of big data yet few businesses have the advanced expertise needed to go beyond this,” said Andrew Carr, CEO of Bull UK and Ireland.
“They may already have a vision but be unsure about how to get there - or they may not even be aware of what they could achieve with the data they hold and need help to identify the opportunities.
“By taking this challenge beyond the mainstream business environment and engaging the best brains possible on the subject, we can help organisations start to realise big data implementations by injecting a new dynamism into high performance project development that will enable them to be the first to market with their initiatives.”
Professor Stephen Jarvis, who is leading the partnership at Warwick, stated that "Bull is committed to open standards and 'open ICT solutions' which allows users, including ourselves, to gain real insight and expertise in developing data analytics infrastructures as well as developing skills in using that infrastructure.”
“Organisations are bombarded by data in diverse forms from social media to connected sensors, but few know how to combine structured and unstructured forms and convert data to information to give real value. We aim to help them overcome these barriers and to develop great commercial applications that will significantly improve the experience of their customers.”
First Cyber Security Challenge Schools Champion awarded to Stockport School
The inaugural Schools Cyber Games, part of the Cyber Security Challenge’s programme for schools, saw Stockport School emerge victorious as the first ever UK Schools Cyber Security Champions. The Cabinet Office-backed competition aims to raise awareness of the excitement of a career in cyber security amongst a new generation of young people in order to address a growing skills shortage in this sector.
Facing five other teams from schools around the country, the group of Key Stage 4 students overcame a series of fun code-breaking and cyber security themed challenges to claim top prizes including a cash prize of £1,000, Raspberry Pi computers and a Lego Mindstorms kit.
Arriving at the University of Warwick’s School of Computer Science, the teams were immediately confronted with a ‘murdered’ body mannequin and tasked with identifying the culprit through a series of cyber clues scattered through a series of themed challenges throughout the building. Each challenge was devised by experienced cyber security experts at Cyber Security Challenge sponsors and partners BT, Bletchley Park, CompTIA, e-skills, Lancaster University, MWR/Dataline and Think Forensic.
Each challenge required high levels of ingenuity from the young candidates and included:
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Gathering and analysing forensic details from the ‘victim’
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Cracking codes using a Bletchley Park enigma machine
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Remotely navigating a camera robot through a maze in the dark and avoiding a NERF-firing trap
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Compromising an industrial water pumping station to gain access and disable communication links to a water tank in order to drain it and reveal a clue
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Using digital forensics to identify threats to a fictional Global Games opening ceremony, in a challenge that called on students to identify how social engineering can be used in cyber attacks
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Guiding a robot with limited directional instructions through a complicated maze to reach a clue
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Combining elements of physical and online security to pick locks to reveal online passwords that would lead them to an encrypted video revealing a clue
On completion of these challenges, the candidates had to overcome one final code to crack against the clock and reveal the identity of the murderer in their midst. The other schools to participate were The Kings School Chester, King Edward IV School (Chelmsford), Stockport School, Christ College Brecon and St James Senior School (London). Each was selected after finishing as the highest-scoring schools from over 560 who registered for the first stage of the Cyber Security Challenge’s Schools Programme, an online code-cracking competition.
Jane Sinclair, University of Warwick School of Computer Science: “ Days like this show just how fun the cyber security area can be, and that’s been a very important message to get across to the youngsters. They’ve all really enjoyed themselves and it’s been a pleasure seeing them learn and adapt to these new skills so quickly. Hopefully we’ll be seeing some of them again when they begin to apply for a place at University.”
Launched last year, the Schools Programme is delivered in association with major employers to ensure it develops practical and usable skills, in demand from industry. Its teaching resource packs are designed to spark students’ interest in code-breaking and start to hone their skills by not only teaching them how to crack codes, but also encouraging them to work in teams to develop their own.