Research : Oxford University Computing Laboratory

research

Research at OUCL is classified into five broad themes. This provides a map of the research landscape of the Laboratory for public presentation of our work. The themes also help to structure our research management: each researcher is nominally assigned a primary theme, according to research interests; each theme has a head, who has general oversight of its work.

Within (and across) themes, research is conducted by teams of people, or individually, as best suits the staff, the topic, and the funding. If the research has a specific target, or an end-date, then it is presented here as a project; otherwise, it is presented as an activity. Most activities are focussed around a named research group or a funded research centre.

Applications and Algorithms

The Applications and Algorithms theme encompasses a wide variety of work within the Laboratory involving the application of sound algorithmic design principles to challenging computational problems in many different areas. The areas we are focusing on include computational biology, information systems and computational linguistics. The general algorithmic techniques we are developing include machine learning, spatial reasoning and constraint satisfaction.

Numerical Analysis

Numerical analysis concerns the development of algorithms for solving all kinds of problems of continuous mathematics; it is a wide-ranging discipline having close connections with computer science, mathematics, engineering, and the sciences. Oxford's Numerical Analysis Group has long been a leader in the UK; the permanent faculty are Nick Gould, Raphael Hauser, Ian Sobey, Endre Suli, Lloyd N. (Nick) Trefethen, and Andy Wathen.

Program Development and Tools

Research falling under this theme includes our work in programming language design and implementation, a long-established research strength of the Laboratory. We have two research groups in this area, one focussed upon programming tools, the other upon the algebra of programming. It includes also much of our work in metacomputation, an area covering several fields, but with a particular focus upon languages and programming calculi.

Software Engineering

Software engineering is the application of scientific and engineering efforts in the development of software systems. Our research addresses every stage of the development process, from requirements analysis to the maintenance of existing implementations. Areas of particular interest include information modelling, requirements engineering, model-based development, research informatics, systems security, and sensor networks.

Theory and Automated Verification

The Theory and Automated Verification (TAV) theme encompasses our research into the mathematical underpinnings of computer science and their application in a variety of different areas. Much of this work is based around investigations with the prospect of clear practical benefits, often with close links to industry.