Computer Science Research

The research scope of the Algorithms and Bioinformatics group ranges from theoretical computational-complexity issues, through design and analysis of algorithms and data structures for generic computational problems, to developing algorithmic solutions and concrete implementations for various applications, particularly focusing on algorithms for Bioinformatics. Within this spectrum, the research interests of the members of the group include

• String algorithms: text processing, data compression and compressed matching, automata theory;
• Applications of algorithms in Bioinformatics (string algorithms and optimisation algorithms for analysis of the structure of molecular sequences), image processing and music analysis;
• Graph algorithms and combinatorial optimisation: network optimisation, scheduling, stochastic algorithms, communication algorithms for various types of networks;
• Data structures: design, analysis and efficient implementations;
• Algorithm engineering: developing efficient implementations of advanced algorithms and algorithmic techniques;
• Analysis of random discrete processes: random graph processes, models of web graphs and peer-to-peer networks, analysis of randomised algorithms, performance of web crawling.

The Planning, Agents and Intelligent Systems (PAIS) Group undertakes research into autonomous agent technologies, intelligent computer systems, artificial intelligence and automated planning, together with applications of these technologies. Agents are intelligent entities (typically software programmes) who interact to achieve goals that they could not achieve individually, or not as easily. Some recent work has focused on areas such as market-based control, deontic logic and normative systems, agent-oriented software engineering, virtual organisations, trust and reputation in computer systems, argumentation, social networks, provenance, formal theories of communication, approximate and qualitative reasoning, AI & law, and health informatics.

The Software Modelling and Applied Logic group studies applications of logic and mathematics to computer science, software engineering, information and software security and AI. It investigates various models of reasoning and computation, designing formal languages and tools to describe problem domains (including, in particular, software systems and their security constraints), and analyse their trustworthiness, correctness, expressive power and computational behaviour.

The Software Modelling and Applied Logic group concentrates on two related research directions:

• Applications of logic and mathematics across the gamut of computer science and software engineering, including quality of service, business computing, service oriented architectures, model driven development, model transformations, security and artificial intelligence.
• Development of models of reasoning and computation as a basis for the design of programming languages, specification languages, theorem provers, information and systems security, and software modelling tools.