We are delighted to announce that David Goddard, one of KMi’s dedicated PhD students, has successfully passed his viva. David’s PhD, titled “Designing a Personal Awareness Agent to Ameliorate Information Overload,” explores the pressing issue of information overload and proposes innovative solutions through the design of a personal software agent. His research, supervised by Dr….
KMi is thrilled to announce that Shuang Ao has successfully defended her PhD on 22 October 2024. Her thesis, titled “Building Trustworthy AI: Uncertainty Quantification and Failure Detection in Large Vision-Language Models,” addresses key challenges in making AI systems more reliable and trustworthy. Shuang’s research introduces new tools that help improve how well AI systems…
Prof. Advaith Siddharthan’s project, ‘Feeling the Untouchable: Haptic touch experiences for naturalistic learning,’ has secured a £922,000 grant to enhance sensory learning through touch. Collaborating with Imperial College London and the University of Edinburgh, the project aims to revolutionize science education by integrating tactile experiences, making abstract concepts like electromagnetic forces more tangible for students….
C&C (The School of Computing and Communication) and KMi arranged a research festival designed to celebrate the research and innovations in these two units with the STEM Faculty, here at The Open University. The event showcased a taster of their latest research highlights and innovations. This face-to-face event provided a platform for networking and knowledge…
In his inaugural lecture on February 13, 2024, Prof. Advaith Siddharthan, addressed the consequences of contemporary culture’s detachment from nature. He proposed the use of citizen science methodologies as a means to address this issue. Prof Siddharthan also advocated for incorporating outdoor field studies into science education to actively involve students in practical scientific experiences. Additionally,…
The OU’s Citizen Science and AI Research group had a stand at the Parks Trust Love Nature event on the 4th of July. The group sported a fantastic number of activities throughout the day: Rachel Redford, Citizen Science Project Officer, engaged with children and adults alike about the fascinating world of moth eco-systems; Nirwan Sharma, Research Associate,…
KMi is delighted to announce that we have received an Athena Swan Silver Award following our recent submission to Advance HE. The Athena Swan Self-Assessment (SAT) Team had membership drawn from our academic, professional services and doctoral students. Prof Advaith Siddharthan, who led SAT’s submission over the past year, said: “Our most compelling narratives were…
Many congratulations to Charlotte Hamilton who has been elected Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Co-Chair for KMi. Charlotte is a Senior Research Manager in our Professional Services Team and a member of the Athena Swan Self Assessment Team. She will serve for a term of 2 years and work with Jane Whild to set up an EDI Board…
Our latest paper from BeeWatch Planting for Pollinators citizen science data has just been published in Nature Scientific Reports. Widespread concern over declines in pollinating insects has led to numerous recommendations of which “pollinator-friendly” plants to grow and help turn urban environments into valuable habitat for such important wildlife. We used data gathered through our…
As the COVID-19 pandemic puts the focus on literacy and numeracy in home-schooling, KMi researchers have developed technologies to also help families learn about the natural environment. The Human-Computer Collaborative Learning in Citizen Science (X-Polli:Nation) project, which received £507,000 from the Engineering and Physical Research Council has responded to the pandemic by creating a new collection of interactive…
