Research Challenges in Data Science

Launch of the SICSA Data Science Theme

Edinburgh, 3 July 2014

Ground floor, Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh
Directions to the Informatics Forum are available

Organisers: David Corne, Amos Storkey

Please register for this event

Background

Making good use of data is now critical to most businesses and scientists. In response to the increasing importance of Data Science, the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA) has set up a Data Science Theme. This theme will be launched at a workshop on the 3 July 2014, which will focus on the collision between the needs of data driven practitioners and the modern capailities provided by the different enabling technologies for data science.


Research challenges in Data Science

Join us at the SICSA Data Science theme launch, to hear about the research opportunities and challenges in data science, and to explore how SICSA researchers can address these.

With the help of a dozen speakers, from across SICSA and beyond, the meeting will cover three main activities: (1) characterizing data science interests and expertise across SICSA; (2) exploring some of the key application domains from which data science challenges arise; (3) exploring the current research questions in key areas of data science (e.g. machine learning, visualization, linked-data, and so on), and how SICSA researchers might work together to address them.

As part of activity (1), this meeting will help to nail how the Data Science theme will distribute some of its funds to SICSA researchers for future specialized data science activities and events. Look out for news very soon on the data science mailing list (below) about how you can help to shape that.

Confirmed speakers include scientists from the British Geological Survey, the Edinburgh Institute for Astronomy, and the St Andrews School of Biology, the DataLab, and several from SICSA Departments. You will hear any further info first if you join the SICSA data science mailing list.

This meeting is open to all SICSA researchers (but space is limited, so it will be first come first serve). It will be held in the Informatics Forum, University of Edinburgh. The outline of the event is:

The provisional timetable is

  • 09.30 Introduction
  • 09:45 Mapping data science research interests across SICSA, and future plans for the Data Science theme (Mike Chantler)
  • 10:15 Coffee
  • 10:45 Sources of data and the associated challenges and opportunties.
    • Data Science in Biological Interaction Networks. V. Anne Smith (University of St Andrews)
    • Data Science in the Earth Sciences. Simon Flower (British Geological Survey)
    • Data Science in Cosmology. Catherine Heymans (University of Edinburgh)
    • Data Science in Search and Marketing. Glen Conybeare (Stickyeyes Ltd.)
    • Data Science in Neuroscience. Malcolm Macleod (University of Edinburgh)
  • 12:00 An Introduction to DataLab. Aaron Quigley
  • 12:10 An Introduction to the Data Science Centre for Doctoral Training. Charles Sutton
  • 12:20 Catered Lunch.
  • 13:15 Introduction to the Afternoon
  • 13:30 Research questions in key areas of data science
    • Research Questions in Data Analytics and Machine Learning. Iain Murray
    • Research Questions in Visualization. Aaron Quigley
    • Research Questions in Linked Data. Alasdair Gray
    • Research Questions in Databases and Provenance. James Cheney
    • Research questions in Speech and Language. Oliver Lemon
    • Research Questions in Imaging Analytics. Stephen McKenna
  • 15:15 Coffee
  • 15:45 interactive / breakout sessions, exploring how SICSA researchers can work together to address some of the research questions.
  • 17:00 Close

Sponsors

sicsa logo

This workshop is funded by the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA), with premises provided by the School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh.


Costs

The workshop registration and workshop lunch is free of charge to registered attendees.


Travel

Participants will need to make their own travel arrangements. By train the nearest station is Edinburgh Waverley, which is less than a 15 minute walk from the forum. See National Rail Enquiries for train information. For those coming from further afield, information about travel to and from Edinburgh Airport is available. A taxi to the city centre from the airport costs about 20GBP to 22GBP one way. There is also an excellent express bus from the airport called Airlink that terminates in the city centre and costs 7GBP for a return journey. The journey to the airport requires approximately 30 minutes from the city centre of actual journey time (add a little more during the rush hours).


Registration

Please register for this event