PDF for printing» Department of COMPUTER SCIENCE
Introduction
The new Department of Computer Science began life in August 2001, emerging from the Computing Group of the Department of Mathematical Sciences. It is a research-led department with a strong record in interdisciplinary research and postgraduate teaching.
- MPhil/PhD
- The Department supports a strategic range of computer science research at PhD level and beyond. Our main research interests include Human Computer Interaction, Graphics and Media Technology, Mathematical Foundations, and Intelligent Systems. Research is pursued both in fundamental theoretical development and a range of application areas.
- EngD in Systems Engineering
- We also offer EPSRC-funded, industriallybased studentships in Systems Engineering. The programme includes taught units and supervised research within industry. The programme is fulltime for 4 years and 75% of this time is spent in industry. Students work on a project or series of projects that demonstrate innovation and are of direct industrial relevance. Research outcomes are expected to be at least to the same level as a PhD.
Main areas of research
- Human Computer Interaction
- We have an extensive programme of research in HCI, including interaction design, mobile and pervasive computing, computer-supported co-operative work, computer-mediated communication, theories and methods for evaluating user interfaces, safety-critical systems, distributed interaction, creativity, participatory design, and cognitive information processing in interactive systems. Active application areas include context aware service discovery for mobile devices, aircraft flight deck design and evaluation, healthcare informatics and telemedicine, collaborative virtual environments, e-commerce, groupware, and generation of help and explanation facilities.
- Graphics and Media Technology
- Our research programmes include animation, visualisation, image recognition, photorealistic and nonphotorealistic rendering, application of computer graphics to film and computer music. Active application areas include processing live action video into cartoons for animation, representing movies with vectors, virtual friends, facial animation, virtual physics for games and VR.
- Mathematical Foundations
- Research in the Mathematical Foundations group at Bath focuses on the use of mathematics to understand computing, and the use of computers to understand and perform mathematics. Active areas of interest include: design, implementation and semantics of programming languages; game semantics, category theory, logic and proof-theory; computer algebra, computational geometry, cryptography, networks and security.
- Intelligent Systems
- The research activity at the University of Bath includes intelligent agents, modular and distributed intelligence, artificial-life models of natural intelligence, neural networks, machine learning, evolutionary computing, reactive planning and a variety of formal knowledge representation techniques. Active application areas include e-commerce, modelling non-human task learning, providing mathematical services over the web, and expressing emotions in VR characters.
Facilities and equipment
LAN and WAN, state-of-the-art HCI laboratory, audio laboratory.
International and industrial links
The Department has active collaborations with academics in leading universities in Europe, Australasia, the USA and Japan. Strong links with industry, e.g. HP labs, Airbus, Qinetiq, Westland, Toshiba and Vodafone.
Careers information
High employment records for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Good links with employers.