Departmental news

Astrophysicist Dimitri Veras of The University of Warwick has been awarded the prestigious George Darwin Lectureship by the Royal Astronomical Society.

Congratulations to all of 2023-2024 MSc students graduating in January 2025.

The department would also like recognise the winners of the following MSc prizes:

Best Overall Data Analytics student: Pak Ho Gordon Sy

Best Overall Computer Science student: Olly Wortley

Best Data Analytics dissertation: Tianyi Huang

Best Computer Science dissertation: Olly Wortley

To improve access to advanced optical microscopy in educational and resource-limited settings, researchers in Warwick’s Centre for Mechanochemical Cell BiologyLink opens in a new window have developed the eduWOSM (educational Warwick Open Source Microscope), an open hardware platform for transmitted-light and epifluorescence imaging in up to 4 colours, including single molecule imaging. Read the paper hereLink opens in a new window.

YouTube channelLink opens in a new window - Video explaining what the eduWOSM is, what it can do, and how to use it.

Expert comment from Professor Siddartha Khastgir, Head of Safe Autonomy at WMG on the UK Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan

“I welcome this timely and ground-breaking AI Opportunities Action Plan by the UK Government. We thank both the UK Government and Matthew Clifford CBE for laying a solid foundation for the UK’s AI development and deployment in the coming decade.

‘‘AI has huge potential to help develop different life-changing technologies. However, AI, when used in safety-critical applications such as Self-Driving vehicles and Advanced Driver Assistance technology, needs to be trusted. With the lack of internationally-agreed methodologies or mechanisms to prove that AI is safe, we urge the government to prioritise safe AI in this plan.

‘‘We welcome the announcement of AI Growth Zones, which could attract significant investment into the UK in high-growth sectors such as Safe Automated Mobility. For example, at WMG we have partnered with leading AI developer Wayve on our £1.9 million-research project, DriveSafe AI, to develop scalable engineering safety guidelines and mechanisms to prove AI is safe for self-driving technology while sharing with the ecosystem and building on international standards like ISO/PAS 8800.’’

Read more about WMG’s Safe Autonomy research here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/research/research-areas/safeautonomy

Ella Kaye has been selected as an SSI Fellow, recognising her as an ambassador for good software practice, and providing a grant and mentorship for nurturing the rainbowR community.

Professor David GreenwoodLink opens in a new window, CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult at WMG, comments on the newly established UK Steel Council.

“The establishment of the Steel Council marks a turning point in the narrative of the UK steel industry as it transitions to a clean, green, digitalised future.

“To succeed, government, industry, trade unions and research bodies must work together to deliver a long-term strategy encompassing policy; technology; skills; supply chains, and regions.

“WMG, as a centre of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, is delighted to contribute to the success of the Council and help to secure the future of the UK steel industry.”

A groundbreaking study sheds light on the collaboration between dynein and KIF1C, two essential motor proteins responsible for transporting cellular cargo in opposite directions. Dynein, which moves towards the cell body, is linked to conditions like Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2 and Spinal Muscular Atrophy, while KIF1C, which carries cargo towards the cell periphery, is associated with hereditary spastic paraplegia and spastic ataxia.

This week we are delighted to interview Dr Aisel Omarova, Research Fellow and Associate Tutor, for our Warwick Law School Staff Spotlight series.

Mark Zuckerberg has announcedLink opens in a new window changes to moderation on Meta platforms, including an end to independent fact-checking on its platforms, increases in the amount of political content recommended to users, and " getting rid of a number of restrictions on topics like immigration, gender identity and gender that are the subject of frequent political discourse and debate."

Dr Mateusz Stalinski,Link opens in a new window Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics, comments:-

“Meta’s decision to reduce the amount of content moderation across their platforms does not come as a surprise. With X increasingly branding itself as leader in promoting largely unrestrained freedom of expression on social media, Meta has faced competitive pressure to take action.

“Social media platforms have a track record of responding to each other’s policy changes. Following Twitter’s ban on political advertisement in 2019 (Elon Musk reinstated them in 2023), Facebook swiftly took action to introduce a tool that allowed its users to opt out of political ads during the 2020 election campaign.

“While Meta’s recent announcement to reduce censorship is partially forced by policies of its competitors, it also directly benefits the platform itself. Research Link opens in a new windowconducted by researchers from the University of Warwick, Bocconi University, and Columbia University shows that exposure to toxic content on social media increases user engagement, which can improve platforms’ advertising revenue. From this angle, the increased external pressure to protect the freedom of expression is a welcome excuse to forward business goals without being explicit about it.”

7 January 2025