Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford

We're hiring a Research Associate on Children’s Agency in the Age of AI, to contribute to the ground-breaking interdisciplinary research project CHAILD, supported by the UKRI (UK Research and Innovation). The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt and Senior Researcher Dr Jun Zhao (Jun Z.), contributing to the design, development, and deployment of AI-based systems that support the development of children’s agency. This work focuses on the application of AI in Education and large Social Media platforms. The role offers an exciting opportunity to gain expertise in ethical and fair AI innovation while engaging with diverse stakeholders, including children, innovators, and policymakers. Applicants should hold a relevant PhD/DPhil or being close to completion in AI, HCI, child-centred design or related disciplines. We are a Stonewall Top 100 and Living Wage Employer, and we hold an Athena Swan Bronze Award for our work towards gender equality, a Race Equality Charter Bronze Award, and an HR Excellence in Research Award. The role is a full time fixed term contract for 18 months, with the possibility of extension. The salary is Grade 7: £38,674 - £46,913 p.a. with the potential to underfill at Grade 6: £34,982 - £40,855 p.a.. The application deadline is 12:00 20 January 2025. For details and applications: https://lnkd.in/dW99xKPu Image description: A salmon pink graphic with the Department of Computer Science logo at the top left and text reading 'We’re hiring: Research Associate on Children’s Agency in the Age of AI. Full time fixed term contract for 18 months, with the possibility of extension. Grade 7: £38,674 - £46,913 p.a. (potential to underfill at Grade 6: £34,982 - £40,855 p.a.). Application Deadline: 12:00 20 January 2025. @compscioxford #CompSciOxford'. There are also lines and dots pointing to the text that look like a computer board. #recruiting #Oxfordrecruitment

A paper in Nature Scientific Reports authored by DPhil student Leto Luana Riebel and team used digital models to examine the safety of receiving a stem cell injection after a heart attack, helping inform and advance investigations into potential therapies for heart failure, such as regenerative cell therapy. Heart attacks are amongst the leading causes of death worldwide and treating them is not straightforward, as once affected tissue has started to turn into a scar, it cannot be recovered. Scientists are exploring the possibility of injecting lab-grown stem cells into the heart, hoping they will revitalise lost tissue. However, as these new cells are grown outside the human body and are only a few weeks old, they are immature and may interrupt the heart’s coordinated activity, causing its rhythm to become chaotic. In this study, the Computational Cardiovascular Science team used digital modelling to mimic human hearts and investigate the safety of stem cell injection after a heart attack based on different patient conditions, such as the size of the heart attack scar. The team modelled how the electrical impulses that initiate the contraction and pumping of blood in the heart might be disturbed by new stem cells by simulating cell injection in three different heart attack scars. They were able to address crucial questions about the therapy’s delivery and how long after a heart attack it would be safest to inject. Led by Leto Luana Riebel, the departmental research team also included Jenny Wang, Hector Martinez-Navarro, Cristian Trovato, PhD, Julia Camps, Lucas Arantes Berg, Xin Zhou, Rubén Doste, and Professor of Computational Biology, Blanca Rodriguez. 'We are simulating the effects of potential therapies in the human heart to uncover safety risks that may be missed in pre-clinical studies. Simulations, unlike clinical trials, can be paused, rewound or restarted again and again whilst systematically examining the effects of individual parameters on each cell and the heart as a whole.' Commented DPhil student Leto Luana Riebel. Through this study, and collaboration with academic and industry partners, the team’s research is expected to provide important contributions to current knowledge in the field. Image description: A dark blue graphic with a bright blue box on it with text reading '‘We are simulating the effects of potential therapies in the human heart to uncover safety risks that may be missed in pre-clinical studies. Simulations, unlike clinical trials, can be paused, rewound or restarted again and again.’ DPhil student Leto Luana Riebel'. To the left of the text there is a circular picture of DPhil student Leto Luana Riebel. Beneath this, there are bright blue lines with dots attached that looks like a circuit board. At the bottom of the graphic there is white text reading '@compscioxford #CompSciOxford'.

We're hiring for the role CRANE Programme Manager (Chief Operating Officer) to oversee the UK’s Cybersecurity Research & Networking Environment (CRANE) project, funded by the EPSRC. This is a re-advertisement. Previous applicants need not apply. The successful applicant will coordinate efforts to bring together researchers, industry, government, and third-sector partners, fostering an inclusive and impactful network that addresses the latest cybersecurity challenges. Applicants should have proven experience in managing large-scale, multi-partner projects within a research or higher education context, and strong financial management skills, including budget creation, compliance oversight, and experience with funder reporting requirements. We are a Stonewall Top 100 and Living Wage Employer, and we hold an Athena Swan Bronze Award for our work towards gender equality, a Race Equality Charter Bronze Award, and an HR Excellence in Research Award. The role is a full time, fixed-term contract for 5 years, starting early 2025. The salary is Grade 8: £48,235-£57,255 per annum with a discretionary range up to £62,407 per annum for exceptional candidates (this includes Oxford University weighting). The application deadline is 12:00 15 January 2025. For details and applications: https://lnkd.in/e95PpC_c Image description: A salmon pink graphic with the Department of Computer Science logo at the top left and text reading 'We’re hiring: CRANE Programme Manager (Chief Operating Officer). Full time fixed term (5 years), starting early 2025. Grade 8: £48,235 - £57,255 per annum (discretionary range up to £62,407 per annum). Application Deadline: 12:00 15 January 2025. @compscioxford #CompSciOxford'. There are also lines and dots pointing to the text that look like a computer board. #CompSciOxford #recruiting #Oxfordrecruitment

Senior Researcher Jun Zhao (Jun Z.) is speaking as a part of a roundtable discussion today (Wednesday 18 Dec) from 16:30 - 18:00 in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and online. The roundtable discussion is titled 'Regulating AI and Emerging Risks to Children's Rights' and will host in-depth discussions about the emerging risks associated with AI, specifically concerning children's rights, safety, and privacy. The event will examine how existing regulations address the risks posed, identifying strengths, weaknesses, areas for improvement, and best practices. To learn more about the event and how to attend, follow the link below. #CompSciOxford #OxfordAI

We're hiring a Finance Manager (maternity cover) to be at the heart of financial leadership in one of the world's most prestigious computer science departments. With an annual budget of £19M and responsibility for over 240 research projects valued at £66M, this is an exceptional opportunity to shape and drive the financial strategy of a dynamic, world-leading institution. The successful candidate will work closely with the Head of Administration and Finance (HAF) to provide expert guidance, ensuring robust financial management and compliance while supporting the department’s cutting-edge research and teaching activities. The candidate will also manage a talented team of finance professionals. We are seeking an experienced finance professional with a recognised CCAB accounting qualification, who thrives in a dynamic and collaborative environment. Applicants should have proven ability to manage diverse financial functions, including budgeting, forecasting, and reporting, within a large organisation, and experience of providing strategic financial advice to senior stakeholders, coupled with excellent analytical skills. We are a Stonewall Top 100 and Living Wage Employer, and we hold an Athena Swan Bronze Award for our work towards gender equality, a Race Equality Charter Bronze Award, and an HR Excellence in Research Award. This is a full time fixed term contract from 1 May 2025 to 30 June 2026. The salary is Grade 8: £48,235 - £57,255 per annum inclusive of Oxford weighting (with a discretionary range up to £62,407 for exceptional candidates). The application deadline is 12:00 13 January 2025. For details and applications: https://lnkd.in/e93bbNVs Image description: A salmon pink graphic with the Department of Computer Science logo at the top left and text reading 'We’re hiring: Finance Manager (maternity cover). Full time fixed term contract from 1 May 2025 to 30 June 2026. Grade 8: £48,235 - £57,255 per annum inclusive of Oxford weighting (with a discretionary range up to £62,407 for exceptional candidates). Application Deadline: 12:00 13 January 2025. @compscioxford #CompSciOxford'. There are also lines and dots pointing to the text that look like a computer board. #recruiting #Oxfordrecruitment

📣 We're excited to announce that the GCSCC is helping to establish a new 'Laboratory for AI Security Research (LASR)' to address the complex security challenges emerging in AI technologies 📣 🖲️ #LASR will bring together industry, academic, and government experts to boost AI cyber resilience around the world. 🎓 The University of Oxford will advance LASR with a multidisciplinary approach, drawing on expertise across the University's #research ecosystem. 🌐 The #GCSCC will develop insights into national AI cybersecurity readiness and capability gaps for critical sectors, and incorporate the learnings into the cybersecurity capacity building community via our network of stakeholders around the world. 🗣️ Speaking on the new announcement, Professor Sadie Creese said, "Through the GCSCC, we are researching topics related to emerging system risks around AI supply chains and developing insights into national AI cybersecurity readiness. Together, we aim to shape a future where AI technologies can be both transformative and secure." ❗ We look forward to sharing more news on LASR in the coming months ❗ Find out more about the exciting new initiative here: https://lnkd.in/gtFp7UEe Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office - Research, Science and Innovation, The Alan Turing Institute, Queen's University Belfast, Plexal, Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford, Oxford Martin School Stephen Roberts, David De Roure, Jim Naismith #AI #cybersecurity #resilience #cyber

Research Associate Hector Martinez-Navarro has co-authored the paper titled 'ECG analysis of ventricular fibrillation dynamics reflects ischaemic progression subject to variability in patient anatomy and electrode location', with DPhil student Ambre Bertrand, Research Associate Rubén Doste, DPhil student Hannah Smith and Professor Blanca Rodriguez and others. In the paper, new mechanistic insights into the medical interventions for ventricular fibrillation are shared. The paper also looks at how characterising arrhythmias through the ECG provides valuable information about the cardiac substrate, and how this can help to perform a timely and specific intervention for the patient. Find the paper below. #CompSciOxford

DPhil student Kai Lu has received two awards at the Environment Dynamics Matters (EDM) workshop during the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2024), one of the most prestigious events in robotics and embodied AI. Kai received the Best Poster Award for the best paper in the workshop. His paper, ‘Learning to Catch Reactive Objects with a Behaviour Predictor’ introduces a new learning-based approach enabling robots to catch moving objects by understanding their reactive behaviours. Unlike predictable objects like a tennis ball, reactive targets adjust their movement in response to the robot, making traditional methods insufficient. The research integrates explicit target state prediction with reinforcement learning (RL), leading to improved anticipatory actions, particularly for evasive targets. This novel methodology has applications ranging from interacting with humans to safely capturing animals for biological research. Kai led the project and was supervised by Professor Andrew Markham, working with fellow DPhil student Jiaxing Zhong and alumni Bing Wang and Bo Yang. Kai also received an Excellent Practice Award for his paper ‘Learning Generalisable Manipulation Policy with Adapter-Based Parameter Fine-Tuning’. This research pioneers the use of adapters in reinforcement learning to enable robotic skill generalisation across multiple robots and tasks without retraining. Validated through experiments on simulated and real robots, including the Toyota Human Support Robot and ManiSkill, the study achieved impressive results in task success and adaptability. The work was conducted in collaboration with the Dynamic Robot Systems (DRS) group from the Oxford Robotics Institute (ORI) and offers new pathways for advancing robotic versatility in academic and practical applications. Kai led the project and was supervised by Professor Markham, working with University of Oxford, Department of Engineering Science's Associate Professor Ioannis Havoutis, alumnus Kaichen Zhou (Kaichen Z.), and Kim Tien Ly and William Hebberd of ORI. Kai notes that systems like this tackle interesting problems: ‘Our approach demonstrates an effective and efficient solution to this critical task, showcasing convincing results in both simulation and real robots. The recognition of our work in this prestigious workshop highlights its impact on embodied AI research, particularly in advancing methods for generalisable manipulation across different robotic platforms.’   ‘This research looks at two key problems facing real-world robots. Firstly, they have to adapt and react to changes in the world - how can we build a machine reality that allows them to do this? Secondly, once a robotic skill is learnt, how best can we transfer that knowledge to a different type or model of robot? Kai's work pushes these exciting areas forward and has deservedly been recognised with these awards.’ Professor Andrew Markham. Watch a demonstration of Kai's work below.

Professor of Computer Science, Stefan Kiefer, has been awarded £620k from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to advance his research into the foundations of computer-aided verification of probabilistic systems.    Probabilistic systems are systems that include an element of randomness. Computers using these systems are widely employed, such as in aeroplanes or medical devices, and as such their failure can have catastrophic consequences. The accuracy and performance of the systems can be analysed with the help of specialised programs.    Professor Kiefer’s work will focus on the foundations of computer-aided verification of probabilistic systems through tools such as Prism and Storm. He will collaborate closely with Professor Franck van Breugel from York University (Toronto, Canada). They aim to improve the robustness of current verification tools to increase the reliability of verification results, and to develop more broadly applicable algorithms for comparing the behaviour of computer systems.     ‘I am delighted to receive this EPSRC award. We hope that this research will make the verification of large probabilistic systems more robust. Our approach is based on techniques from various mathematical fields and theoretical computer science, putting them into practice.’  Stefan Kiefer, Professor of Computer Science    Even a small system can have a high number of different states, and formal verification tools must minimise the state space (the collection of all possible states a system can be in). Kiefer’s work intends to achieve this by identifying states that behave essentially in the same way, which can then be merged to speed up verification. It also aims to devise new algorithms to improve the diagnosis of systems.     Through his research, Kiefer is set to extend the foundations of probabilistic verification and develop more powerful and more widely applicable verification tools, to improve the correctness and robustness of computer systems that we rely upon every day.    Image description: A dark blue graphic with a bright blue box on it with text reading '‘I am delighted to receive this EPSRC award. We hope that this research will make the verification of large probabilistic systems more robust.’ Professor Stefan Kiefer'. To the left of the text there is a circular picture of Professor Stefan Kiefer. Beneath this, there are bright blue lines with dots attached that looks like a circuit board. At the bottom of the graphic there is white text reading '@compscioxford #CompSciOxford. 

On the twelfth day of Christmas, RobOx gave to us: a question about the year of quantum. What are your predictions for the next twelve months? 2025 is the UN International Year of Quantum Science and Technology so we want to know what you think will happen in the world of quantum and in the wider world of computer science in the new year. Senior Researcher Dr Carolyn Ten Holter has shared her thoughts and explained what quantum technology is and what its real-world possibilities are. If you want to know more about quantum, before making your predictions, read the article here: https://lnkd.in/eh5HUvjw Image descriptions: 1: A photograph of a white robot wearing a hat holding up a white sheet of paper with the number twelve on it. In the background, there is a faded beige building in front of a dark blue backdrop. 2: A dark blue graphic with bright blue text reading ‘...a question about the year of quantum. What are your predictions for the next twelve months?’. Beneath this there is a white question mark with a dot made of a quantum symbol. #CompSciOxford #12DaysOfChristmas #Oxmas