Overview
Vision
Our vision is to develop a bio-inspired computational basis for Artificial Intelligence to power future cognitive technologies.
Mission
Our mission is to understand how the brain works at multiple levels, from cells to cognition and apply that understanding to create realistic models and construct technologies that solve the complex issues that face people and society. To accomplish our mission we use a variety of research strategies that include big data and machine learning, brain imaging and neural interfacing, human-computer interaction and robotics.
Our cross-disciplinary research focuses on six interrelated research themes:
Computational Neuroscience and Neuromorphic Engineering
To model cellular and network level brain function to understand intelligence and pathology and create biologically inspired algorithms and hardware.
Cognitive Neuroscience and Neurotechnology
To develop intelligent signal/image processing to probe and understand brain dynamics, structure and function and produce technologies that maintain, enhance, augment and restore physical and cognitive function.
Cognitive Robotics
To create robotic ecologies that have human-like sensing capability for seamless interaction through complex object recognition, vision and tactile sensing, task allocation, manipulation and more.
Intelligent Data Analytics
To achieve fundamental advances in AI and scalable computing to solve the most challenging data analytics problems faced by people, industry, society and government.
Spatial Computing and Future Human-Computer Interaction
To study people's interaction with text, voice, gesture, Augmented Reality/Virtual reality (AR/VR), and develop new contexts for computing through wearables and technology everywhere.
Cyber Security and Web technologies
To develop secure and connected technologies that operate intelligently to deliver context aware knowledge and actions in real-time.
We invite applications for self-funded PhD research projects in any of these research themes.
Summary
The Intelligent Systems Research Centre (ISRC) is linked with the School of Computing, Engineering and Intelligent Systems (SCEIS) on the Magee campus and draws together expertise from computing and engineering professions and interdisciplinary research teams with a focus on intelligent systems across a range of application areas to create an exciting environment for undergraduate and postgraduates students to excel in STEM subjects, Artificial Intelligence and Future and Emerging Technologies R&D
The ISRC is the centre of operations for the Cognitive Analytics Research Laboratory (CARL), an Ulster University-wide initiative focused on exploiting the centre's 20-year track record of research excellence into neuro-inspired cognitive analytics, machine learning and computational intelligence, to establish Northern Ireland as a world leading location for data science and analytics, to aid local and global industry exploit data which is now abundant, ubiquitous and increasingly more valuable, across diverse domains such as health, financial technology, media, civic and government, energy and advanced manufacturing.
At present, the School has 33 academic members of staff, over 40 PhD researchers and 20 Research Assistants/Fellows.
In the UK research excellence framework (REF) 2014 90% of Ulster University's computer science research environment was rated world leading or internationally excellent, and its REF submission in Computer Science was the 14th largest nationally, ranking 21st and 16th out of 89 universities for research power and total number of research staff with 3* (internationally excellent) and 4* (world-leading) research outputs, respectively.
The ISRC has three active spinout companies and catalyzes research that has impact locally and globally. In 2018 NeuroCONCISE Ltd, an AI-enabled, wearable neurotechnology spinout-company from the Intelligent Systems Research Centre was winner in the best start-up category at the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) Innovation awards. NeuroCONCISE Ltd also won the IET and E&T Innovation of the Year Award. "The judges felt that this project was part of something bigger, something genuinely important. It pulls on many interesting disciplines such as AI, electronics, software and big data, and interweaves them in a solution that promises real developments in the field." http://email.ietinfo.org/q/17ECzQg7RgSQMl7KDE9ll1/wv. NeuroCONCISE Ltd was built on award winning AI research including the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award 2008 and International Neural Network Society Young Investigator of the Year award 2011.