Congratulations are in order for the accomplished individuals of WMG who marked a significant milestone at the University of Warwick's Winter Graduation Ceremonies this week.

A total of 1,381 Master's, Postgraduate Research and Undergraduate students graduated from across WMG.

There were 1,225 Master’s students; 1,072 were full-time, 35 part-time, and 118 studied overseas.

Twelve graduated from the Postgraduate research programme including 11 PhD students and one Master’s of Science by research student.

A total of 144 were undergraduate students; three graduated with a BSc in Cyber Security, one with a BSc in Digital Healthcare Science; two with a BEng in Automotive Engineering and the remaining 138 were Degree Apprenticeship students.

At the WMG graduation event, the alumni speeches delivered by esteemed speakers, Philomena Lavery (MSc Cyber Security and Management, 2020), and Dr. Benjamin Wood, (MEng Mechanical Engineering, 2006; EngD Engineering, 2012) were nothing short of inspiring. Their words not only resonated with wisdom but also ignited a sense of motivation and empowerment among the graduates.

Philomena Lavery, Senior Vice President Digital Security at AVEVA, and Dr. Benjamin Wood, Director, Research & Technology – Manufacturing Innovation at Hexcel Corporation, brought a unique blend of expertise and experience to the podium. Their heartfelt messages added an extra layer of significance to the celebration, leaving a lasting impression on all who attended.

Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG, said, “Congratulations to all our graduates. Your dedication and remarkable achievements have not only sculpted your academic journey but have also enriched the vibrant and innovative community here at WMG.

“I take immense pride in your accomplishments, and they stand as a testament to your resilience and commitment to excellence. I hope you continue to reach for new heights and inspire those around you now and in the future. Well done!”

Professor Steve Maggs, Director of Alumni and Industry Engagement, added: “As these graduates embark on new horizons, we celebrate their remarkable journey and commend their dedication. With a total of 1,381 Master’s, Postgraduate Research and Undergraduate students, this class not only signifies academic prowess but also adds depth to our diverse community.”

Professor Steve Maggs, further says, “At the University of Warwick, connections do not end when our students graduate; you join a community like no other. As a Warwick graduate, you become part of a global community of more than 285,000 alumni in more than 180 countries and territories, with over 29,000 of those who are WMG graduates. Wherever you are in the world, you can keep connected with the friends and networks developed during your studies and also have the opportunity to make new connections.”

Check out the WMG alumni web pages for more details: https://warwick.ac.uk/alumni

To find out more about studying at WMG visit: Study | WMG | University of Warwick

WMG at the University of Warwick was pleased to host its annual Scholarship Dinner celebration for full-time Master’s students last week.

This academic year, WMG has welcomed a total of 225 scholarship students from across 45 different countries. The event was a chance to celebrate the achievements of the students and give them an opportunity to network with staff and peers.

The WMG Excellence Scholarship - a competitive, merit-based scholarship through which WMG provides tuition fee discounts to particularly strong applicants - was awarded to 130 of the students.

A further 23 students received a Chevening Scholarship funded by the UK Government Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Chevening Scholarships are widely considered one of the top scholarships for Master’s degrees, making them extremely prestigious and highly competitive.

The remaining 72 students received scholarships from partner sponsors from UK and international funding bodies including governments, charities, development funds, industry, and banks.

Professor Dan Nunan, Director of Full Time Postgraduate Programmes, who hosted the celebration event explained: “The annual scholarship dinner for MSc students was the biggest ever with nearly all of our 225 scholars attending.

“We are very grateful to the many external organisations who provide funding, sponsorship and other forms of financial support that enable students, who would not otherwise be able to study at Warwick, to attend. This year around £5m will be provided in scholarships and other support to students at WMG. Having this support is key in enabling WMG to continue to attract the best, and highest potential, students from all around the world.”

Cathy Fawcett, Student Recruitment and Marketing Manager at WMG, and organiser of this event commented: “It’s so gratifying bringing together all our scholars for a celebration like this. For so many, joining Warwick is the culmination of several years’ effort as the competition, particularly for awards like Chevening, is immense. A special thanks to the staff - course leaders, representatives and others who did a fantastic job of hosting tables and making this a really special occasion for our scholars.”

If you’re interested in studying for a postgraduate course at WMG, find out more here about the range of Master’s programmes across engineering, technology, digital, management and business.

Take a look at the WMG scholarship opportunities here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/study/masters-degrees/how-to-apply/finance/

Expert comment from Professor of Supply Chain Management, Alok Choudhary.

“The ongoing Red Sea crisis might have far-reaching consequences on the global supply chain, trade, and economic dynamics. Serving as the shortest sea route connecting Asia and Europe, the Suez Canal transports 17,000 ships annually, representing 12% of the world's total trade volume and $1 trillion worth of goods.

“The implications of this disruption on trade are significant. Rerouting ships an additional 3500 nautical miles is expected to result in significant delays, causing logistical challenges for major companies. The increased shipping and logistics costs incurred due to longer travel times are likely to be passed on to consumers, leading to a potential spike in prices for a wide array of goods, from everyday consumer items, oil and gas to crucial components for industries such as automotive and manufacturing.

“The ripple effect on production cycles is a cause for concern, as delays in delivering key components may lead to further disruptions. In particular, the automotive and consumer goods industries may face challenges in maintaining production schedules if crucial components do not reach their destinations on time.

“One of the most immediate impacts could be felt in the oil market, with potential consequences for global oil prices. The disruption in the timely transportation of both refined and crude oil through the canal may contribute to an increase in oil prices. This could have a cascading effect on economies, particularly in regions heavily reliant on oil imports, and may be reflected at fuel pumps worldwide.

“Here in the UK, the rise in oil prices could pose a challenge to economic stability and may halt falling inflation. Higher shipping and logistics costs, coupled with potential delays in the delivery of goods, might contribute to inflationary pressures. This could have broader implications for the UK economy, impacting consumer spending and overall economic growth.”

Read more about Supply Chain research at WMG here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/research/research-areas/supply-chain

The University of Warwick announces Warwick Agri-Tech to help the future of farming with automation – addressing issues such as labour shortages, food insecurity and loss of biodiversity.

Warwick Agri-Tech, will also support the UK to meet climate targets while enabling the production of enough nutritious food for the growing population. It will combine two world class faculties at WMG at The University of Warwick and the School of Life Sciences (SLS), working with the High Value Manufacturing Catapult to spearhead automation in areas such as horticulture, crops and forestry.

Robots will be a key tool for farmers as food production comes under increasing pressure. There is a constant demand to grow enough high quality, nutritious food to feed an expanding human population, and to do so in a way that won’t harm the planet.

According to scientists, the UK will need to produce 50% more food by 2050, while reducing land consumption by 50%. This is further challenged by labour shortages, a broken food system and the fact we are overusing the Earth’s biocapacity (the capability of ecosystems to produce useful biological materials and to absorb waste).

The University of Warwick is in a unique position to tackle these issues and develop farming technology, with expertise in both automation and life science.

Warwick Agri-Tech was born out of an initial project which developed a crop monitoring robot (Crombot) to move autonomously up and down glasshouses and check fruit for ripeness. Officially launching today, with a visit from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Warwick Agri-Tech will continue its research on several key projects:
· An Autonomous Logistics Project – developing an autonomous vehicle to help horticultural companies to optimise their product handling logistics.
· A Smart Tree Production System – Warwick Agri-Tech is working with J&A Growers, who are the leading UK growers of quality bareroot trees and hedging, to autonomously sort and grade sapling trees. This will ensure resilience against labour shortages and is scalable in the face of the UK’s ambitious tree planting targets.

· Autonomous Precision Application – creating an autonomous, AI-based weed control robot, to reduce utilisation of herbicides by over 90% - improving soil health and biodiversity.

The University’s leading crop research centre at based at the Innovation Campus, Stratford-upon-Avon is a leading, 200-hectare agricultural research site. Scientists at the University will collaborate directly with industry partners and the Government to drive implementation of new technology in the farming sector.

Professor Gideon Henderson, Chief Scientific Adviser, said: “Seeing the innovation going on here is really inspiring – I firmly believe that Agri-Tech in the UK has a huge future and I look forward to seeing new ways of working being trialled here at Warwick become mainstream agricultural practices in the future.”

Professor David Greenwood, Director for Industrial Engagement, and CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult at WMG, said: “The emerging needs of the agriculture sector have provided a perfect opportunity for The University of Warwick to bring together our expertise in manufacturing automation with our expertise in life sciences, so we can simultaneously develop robots suitable for use in greenhouses and fields, and ways of growing crops which take advantage of the opportunities of automation. As the UK struggles with availability of agricultural labour, and high food prices, this promises to unlock nutritious and affordable food for all.”

Professor Miriam Gifford, School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, said: “Warwick Agri-Tech will benefit from the entrepreneurship of WMG and the history of excellence in agricultural innovation from the School of Life Sciences’ Warwick Crop Centre, plus the combined stakeholder groups to inform and enable outputs. The fresh food industries need automation urgently. Warwick Agri-Tech will grow rapidly into research and innovation space screaming for workable solutions and expecting substantial funding initiatives.”

More information about Warwick Agri-Tech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXC3jzqrga0

Expert comment from Dr Harjinder Lallie on the UK's vulnerability to cyber attacks.

Dr Harjinder Singh Lallie, Director of WMG’s Cyber Security Centre at the University of Warwick, commented: "The continued reliance on what is sometimes outdated technology including systems, software, and related processes, makes the UK infrastructure increasingly susceptible to crippling cyber-attacks. As systems become older and more dated, the cost of upgrading increases exponentially in comparison with regular upgrades.

“Added to this is the growing pay and associated skills gap between the public and private sector which makes the public sector less attractive for cyber security graduates in an increasingly open market. The potential for our infrastructure to be susceptible to ransomware attacks should not therefore come as a surprise.”

The MSc International Trade, Strategy, Operations (ITSO) course, at WMG at the University of Warwick is collaborating with the Institute of Export & International Trade (IOE&IT) to provide students with access to key industrial opportunities and engagements.

The WMG ITSO course is the first accredited Master’s programme in the UK by the IOE&IT. It is a unique interdisciplinary course that integrates the most essential and related pillars of international trade, strategy, and operations management within trade and business management towards supplying compound talents for industries. Following the philosophy of research-informed teaching for practical implementation, the course also seeks industrial access and opportunities for students.

As part of the collaborative partnership, an event was held recently introducing students to a new innovative way of learning and forging direct links between students and the IOE&IT.

At the event, Ms Helen Hastie, Membership Development Manager, from IOE&IT shared, with the students, information about professional memberships and the associated access to industry specialists and activities when studying ITSO. This includes annual events such as the import and export show, international trade awards, and MemberCon – a UK trade networking event. This helped students to improve their knowledge, skills, and opportunities for career development.

Ms Helen Hastie said: “It was a delight to return to welcome the newest cohort of students from WMG into our membership community. International trade offers a unique opportunity for development not only at a country-to-country level, but professionally. This next generation of international trade expertise is being actualised via WMG ITSO course facilitating exciting career opportunities and growing networks. The IOE&IT is delighted to continue supporting this growth.”

ITSO student course representative, Sitong Li commented: “The event is very helpful and we have also been given access to the latest daily news and information on international trade. In addition to learning knowledge, the connection between our course and IOE&IT is a supplement to our study in the actual operations of international trade, and help us to gain more of the practices outside the classroom.”

Find out more about WMG’s International Trade, Strategy and Operations Master’s Programme here: MSc International Trade, Strategy and Operations | University of Warwick

If you have an enquiry about the ITSO course, please email WMG’s Assistant Professor and ITSO Course Director, Dr Di Li:d.li@warwick.ac.uk or wmgmasters@warwick.ac.uk

The multi-year, multi-million-pound investment is a strategic partnership between TAE Power Solutions and the WMG, High Value Manufacturing Catapult programme to improve the performance and sustainability of energy storage solutions.

With a UK base in the West Midlands, TAE Power Solutions’ mission is to bring their technological advantages developed within Fusion power generation into e-mobility to drive forward carbon reduction and sustainability through increased performance for reduced cost.

TAE Power Solutions use their advanced technology to control energy at a modular-level, enabling dynamic, ultra-precise load balancing across individual battery modules. This increases pack longevity, efficiency, fault-tolerance, and repairability, ultimately reducing lifetime costs and delivering lifetime benefits for consumers and OEMs.

The £4 million partnership aims to use the combined expertise of WMG and TAE to develop the firm’s novel power management systems and energy storage technology to unlock benefits for many new applications across the full spectrum of e-mobility and electric transportation.

The focus over the first two years of an ongoing strategic alliance will be to breakdown the challenges faced by traditional battery control systems, ultimately delivering smaller, lighter, more durable, more efficient, and safer battery packs.

The project will also focus on researching topics related to the “4Rs” - reduce, reuse, recycle & recover, to ensure sustainability of the technology is designed in from the beginning, a key issue in the battery manufacturing industry.

Charles Martin, Strategic Partnership Manager at WMG’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult said: “The team at WMG is very honoured and excited to be starting this new research relationship with TAE Power Solutions. This partnership will leverage WMG’s extensive expertise in batteries, power electronics and e-motor technologies to develop TAE’s novel approach to maximising the performance and life from existing and new battery technologies.

“Using WMG’s state of the facilities and working closely with TAE’s experts, the combined team’s goal is to expand the barriers of existing battery performance whilst enhancing the UK’s engineering and manufacturing capabilities.”

Ben Russell, Chief Commercial Officer of TAE commented: “At TAE we are very excited to be working with WMG on this project, enhancing our core engineering research capability and delivering usable, data driven, world class knowledge into the development of our technology creating the world’s best, integrated power systems.”

AI can analyse X-rays and diagnose medical issues just as, or more, accurately than doctors, a new study led by the University of Warwick has found.

The AI, which has been trained on 2.8 million historic chest X-rays from over 1.5 million patients, scans X-Rays for 37 possible conditions.

It was just as accurate or more accurate than the doctor’s analysis at the time the X-ray was taken for 35 out of 37 conditions (94%).

The AI software can scan X-rays as soon as they are taken for possible conditions and flags any abnormalities. It will then give a percentage chance of each of the abnormalities being present. The AI also understands the seriousness of the different conditions and will flag the more urgent ones to doctors accordingly.

To verify the accuracy of the AI, a sample of over 1,400 X-Rays it had analysed were cross examined by a group of senior radiologists, who compared the diagnoses made by the AI with the historical diagnoses by radiologists at the time.

The AI is a collaboration between Warwick, King’s College London and several NHS sites funded by a Wellcome Trust Innovator Award. The programme also uses a large language model to understand the historical reports written by clinicians – the same underlying technology used by other AI programmes, such as ChatGPT.

Giovanni Montana, Professor of Data Science at WMG at the University of Warwick, and lead author, suggested that the AI tool could either be used as a screening tool for radiologists, or to offer “the ultimate second opinion”, avoiding human bias.

Professor Montana commented: “This programme has been trained on millions of X-rays and is highly accurate. It eliminates the elements of human error, which is unavoidable, and bias. If a patient is referred for an X-ray with a heart problem, doctors will inevitably focus on the heart over the lungs.

“This is totally understandable but runs the risk of undetected problems in other areas. This AI eliminates that human bias – it’s the ultimate second opinion”.

Co-author Professor Vicky Goh of King’s College London, and immediate past Chair of the Academic Committee at the Royal Society of Radiologists commented: “Current AI programmes available to us in the NHS only have a limited scope. Comprehensive AI programmes like this will be the future of medicine, with AI acting as a co-pilot for busy doctors.

“With the acute shortage of radiologists in the UK, programmes like this will facilitate interpretation and reduce delays for diagnosis and treatment”.

There is also the possibility that the AI could look at the X-Rays where no abnormalities are found, which is around half of all of them, and flag this to doctors in a way which could improve efficiency for the NHS. By allowing AI to weed out X-Rays with no abnormalities found, radiologists will have more time to focus on challenging and more critical tests.

A recent poll by the Royal College of Radiologists found that shortages of radiologists were leading to longer wait times, and delays in treatment, at 97% of the UK’s cancer treatment centres.

This AI software – entitled X-Raydar – is designed to help reduce the workload for doctors and cut delays. Remarkably, the research group has open sourced the entire software for non-commercial uses to speed up the pace of research development in this domain.

The software can be seen in use in a video here.

Sophie Powell, a recent BSc Cyber Security graduate, has been named Cyber Student of the Year at the National Cyber Awards 2023. This recognition is a result of her inspirational work to promote gender diversity and equality within cyber security.

The prestigious National Cyber Awards, now in their fifth year, bring together cyber professionals from across public and private sectors to celebrate excellence and innovation in the UK’s cyber security industry.

Sophie has made significant contributions to education and learning in the cyber security space. Notably, she co-founded CyberWomen@Warwick in her second year at university. This initiative was launched in collaboration with the Cyber Security academic team and fellow students.

Since its inception, CyberWomen@Warwick has grown into the CyberWomen Groups Community Interest Company (CIC). The non-profit CIC, directed by Sophie, supports branches of students in different UK universities looking to spotlight the importance of diversity in STEM. It currently has four active branches, CyberWomen@Warwick, CyberWomen@Coventry, CyberWomen@Portsmouth, CyberWomen@UWE, with plans to expand in the future. Executives within each branch work directly with the CIC to set and achieve their own diversity goals and ambitions.

Reflecting on her journey with CyberWomen Groups CIC, Sophie said: “We started this company to ensure every woman in university studying Cyber Security is welcomed into a safe, inclusive environment, where they can flourish both personally and professionally. We look to provide opportunities and resources to encourage a smooth transition into the Cyber industry and create a community that welcomes everybody from different walks of life.”

Alongside Sophie’s success, two current BSc Cyber Security students, Anahitha Vijay and Oscar Williamson, were also recognised at the National Cyber Awards as finalists in the Cyber Student of the Year category.

Dr Sandy Taramonli, Assistant Professor and Course Leader for BSc Cyber Security, said: “I’m incredibly proud of our students for their remarkable achievement. It’s a clear reflection of their hard work, dedication, and the exceptional skills they’ve developed during their time with us. The support from our Cyber Security course team and our commitment to our students’ growth have been key to this success. A hearty congratulations to all, and here’s to more success in the future!”

See the full list of 2023 finalists and winners of the National Cyber Awards 2023.

The start of this year’s 2023 academic year has been particularly busy for Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG. Over the last few months, he has had the privilege of connecting with counterparts at universities worldwide, engaging with international students, and meeting members of the Warwick alumni community.

In October, Professor Robin Clark; and Associate Professor and Director of Overseas Programmes, Mike Newton, travelled to Singapore to attend the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) graduation.

WMG and SIM have a global education partnership allowing students in Singapore to receive a degree from WMG. A total of 45 students graduated, many of whom completed their course during the Covid 19 pandemic.

Dean of WMG, Professor Robin Clark, said, "At the ceremony, we celebrated the students' latest achievement on their path to leadership. Overcoming various challenges, they earned the University of Warwick qualification through their dedicated efforts. Their graduation is a testament to their academic success and a promising sign of their potential to positively influence our shared future. They're poised to make a meaningful impact by fostering connections, promoting sustainability, and contributing to a more productive world around us."

From Singapore, Professor Clark and Mike Newton, then travelled to Beijing to attend the Beijing City University (BCU) graduation. Similar to SIM, BCU and WMG have a global education partnership allowing students in Beijing to receive a degree from WMG.

Professor Clark said, “At BCU, we had an engaging roundtable discussion on project management, followed by insightful speeches, the presentation of awards, the symbolic turning of tassels, and memorable group photos."

After a brief return to the UK, Professor Clark then travelled to the University of Pentecost and University of Ghana where he gave the keynote at the University of Ghana's First Annual Engineering Conference on Sustainable Innovative Technologies for Development.

Professor Clark added, “It was a privilege to be invited to address the audience. I had the honour to meet the Dean of the University of Ghana, Engineering, and several colleagues for an informative discussion about collaboration.”

Catch up on the University of Ghana's First Annual Engineering Conference and Professor Clark’s keynote here: https://www.youtube.com/live/be7yHiADbwg?si=2LYMrrzcTLA_39Br

In November, Professor Clark, Professor Dan Nunan, Associate Dean (Postgraduate) and Dr. Mosh Mujthaba (Academic Director, Hong Kong) travelled to Hong Kong to attend the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HK PolyU) graduation ceremony. Like Warwick, HK PolyU is ranked in the top 100 Universities in the world and has a strong partnership with WMG that has been running for 33 years.

This was the first in-person graduation ceremony attended by WMG faculty members since 2019 and with students graduating all having their studies affected by COVID.

Professor Clark said, "More than 2,000 postgraduate students have now graduated from joint programmes as part of the longstanding WMG – PolyU partnership. With record numbers of applications and strong student numbers, we look forward to this partnership continuing to flourish in the future. At the ceremony, it was wonderful to celebrate students’ success, recognising that many graduating had overcome numerous challenges over the COVID period in order to succeed in their studies."

To wrap up the final leg of Professor Clark’s international travels for 2023, he recently accompanied the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Stuart Croft, on a trip to India to meet with members of the Warwick alumni community at two receptions in New Delhi and Mumbai.

The focal points of the alumni receptions centred around Warwick's upcoming 60th anniversary in 2025, and the transformative potential of WMG in addressing global challenges.

Professor Clark had the opportunity to connect with potential partners and revive relationships. As part of the visit, he met with Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industry, at CII House in New Delhi to discuss ways to strengthen the relationship between CII and WMG.

Professor Clark also held meetings with senior representatives at Tata Trusts and then Tata Power. He concluded his trip by visiting the CII Naoroji Godrej Centre of Excellence, where he discussed the possibility of developing new education partnerships.

Professor Clark said: “These global experiences underscore my commitment to international engagement and highlight the profound impact of cultivating a worldwide network. Connecting with alumni globally is a cornerstone of the University's dedication to building enduring relationships, contributing to the collective success of a global academic community like no other.”

Follow more updates from Professor Clark here: (19) Professor Robin Clark (@Prof_RobinClark) / X (twitter.com)