We are please to report that Dr Maria Liakata has received a Turing Artificial Intelligence (AI) Fellowship.

The Fellowships from The Alan Turing Institute, the UK’s national institute for data science and AI, aim to attract and retain exceptional researchers in artificial intelligence. Covering a broad view of AI, including applications of foundational disciplines across mathematical sciences, statistical sciences, computational sciences and engineering, Fellows collaborate across disciplines and have the opportunity to collaborate with academia, industry, government and the third sector.

Dr Liakata’s Fellowship will focus on creating time sensitive sensors from language and heterogeneous user generated content. Commenting on the research she said:

“Wide spread use of digital technology has made it possible to obtain language data (e.g., social media, SMS) as well as heterogeneous data (e.g., mobile phone use, sensors) from users over time. Such data can provide useful behavioural cues both at the level of the individual and the wider population, enabling the creation of longitudinal digital phenotypes.

“Current methods in natural language processing (NLP) are not well suited to time sensitive, sparse and missing data, collected over time or personalised models of language use. The Turing AI fellowship will allow me to establish a new area in NLP on personalised longitudinal language processing.

“I plan to develop sensors for capturing digital biomarkers from language and heterogeneous user generated content to understand the evolution of an individual over time. I want to make a significant contribution to mental health by working with clinical experts to create new tools based on the sensors, making it possible to assess and measure conditions in between clinician appointments.”

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There will be a PhD Open Day on Wednesday 4 December, 2019 at the Department of Statistics, University of Warwick.

Follow the link below for further information:
Open Day

Quantum systems can often be found to exhibit wave-like properties. As such, matter waves are known to interfere just as water waves, leading to regions of destructive interference - an absence of matter - while in regions of constructive interference, matter can become "localized". However, this behavior is not only true for matter properties of quanta, but also for their other intrinsic properties such a spin: certain spin projections can be shown to vanish while others remain measurable: this is the basis of so-called spin filters. In a recent paper, we show that this behaviour can also be found in systems with higher spins such as spin-1, spin-3/2 and so on. In Phys. Rev. B 100, 161108(R), we demonstrate how this allows the construction of spin filters and, indeed, spin "cages" in which certain spin projections remain "imprisoned" and can no longer contribute to transport. Such studies show the many surprises one is expecting for so-called spintronics devices.

Are you worried about what our future will look like? Is plastic good or bad? Are electric vehicles actually going to save our planet? Come and join us at Our Green Future to find answers to all these questions.

The forum will focus on 'Clean Transport', 'Plastics with Potential' and 'Food of the Future' and will host a large number of industry leaders and academics to address the topical issue of climate change. Tickets have just been released! First 250 tickets include a free travel mug so that you can also help fight against the human impact on climate change. All money from tickets will be donated to charities fighting against climate change. Tickets are available here: https://www.warwicksu.com/events/4097/18103/

Agri-tech innovation centre Crop Health and Protection (CHAP) and its greenhouse innovation partner RIPE Building Services, have officially opened their new high-tech greenhouse facility at the University of Warwick’s Wellesbourne Campus.

The structure, named the Natural Light Growing (NLG) Centre, has been designed and built by RIPE Building Services, partnered by CHAP with £500,000 funding from Innovate UK. It was officially opened by Professor Janet Bainbridge OBE.

Press release

Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowship awarded to Dr Wei He.

• A replica of Percy Riley’s 1898 Voiturette has been built by members of the Riley Motor Club and Riley Register with the encouragement of William Riley’s grandson Victor Riley

• WMG, at the University of Warwick, are sponsoring £2,000 to help with the construction of a replica engine.

• The car featured was the first to have a mechanically operated inlet valve and led the way for the British motor industry and prevented royalty claims.

• There was a launch event at the Coventry Transport Museum on the 6th November to showcase the replica prior to the engine being made.

In a bid to get the first Riley car recreated and back on the roads of Coventry for City of Culture 2021, WMG, at the University of Warwick, are helping with sponsorship to construct a replica engine which will complete a working replica of Percy's Riley 1898 Voiturette.

The launch of the replica, in its near finished state, was revealed at the Coventry Transport Museum, on 6th November by the Lord Mayor of Coventry, Councillor Linda Bigham, alongside Victor Riley, WMG and invited guests.

The Riley car company started in 1890 as the Bonnick Cycle Company of Coventry before William Riley Jr incorporated the Riley Cycle Company in 1896.

His son, Percy Riley started his first car secretly, aged 16, in 1896 and completed its build in 1898 then drove it to Stratford upon Avon to test the car. By 1903 the Riley Engine Company was established, and in 1919 the company changed its name to Riley (Coventry) Limited.

Driven by Percy and his three brothers, the company’s focus shifted to manufacturing entire cars in early 1906.

Professor Dave Mullins, Interim Head of Department WMG comments:

“The Riley brand has played a leading role in the City’s automotive manufacturing industry and we are delighted to be able to support such a significant project for the Riley Motor Club. The family owned company has always focused on being innovative and entrepreneurial, and these characteristics align with those of WMG. We look forward to showcasing the Voiturette during the Coventry City of Culture 2021. ”

Victor Riley, the grandson of William Riley, comments on the difficulty of constructing a replica especially in light of the fact the original car no longer exists:

“Much experimentation has been carried out particularly in some detail of the steering geometry. With help from the Souck Bucks Riley Register members were able to put some of the components together to give an idea of the car taking shape. We are now at the stage where we need to complete the engine to get a fully working replica, and we’re grateful for the sponsorship from WMG, University of Warwick, which will enable this to happen.”

Lord Mayor of Coventry, Councillor Linda Bigham, said: “Coventry is the birthplace of the British Motor Industry. It’s important that we celebrate this and are proud of the innovation, which is still very much alive today especially in the green revolution.

“That’s why I was so pleased to be able to unveil the Voiturette today. With our year as UK City of Culture fast approaching, having a working replica of this iconic car will help us showcase our past and celebrate our future.”

The 1898 Voiturette will be on the Rily Motor Club stand at the Classic Car Show at the NEC from 8th to 10th November. It will share the stand with the 3rd car of the 1906 first production car, 1919 side valve car and a 1967 Elf.

We are sorry to report that Professor Elmer Rees, from the first cohort of PhD students in Warwick, died on 4th October 2019.

200 University of Warwick students are to be equipped with CPR skills thanks to a scheme that will see medical students train their fellow students and the local community in the lifesaving techniques.