Foundations of Computer Science are not redundant

Department of Computer Science, University of Pisa, Italy

I cannot believe we have to explain this.

Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa

Faculty of Engineering Bar Ilan University

Theory matters! Foundations matter! Where are they expected to be studied, if not at a university? All applications rely heavily on foundations.

Department of Computer Science, City, University of London

This decision is like stopping research in linear algebra while doing research in machine learning.

Royal Holloway, University of London Colleagues working in the Foundations of Computer Science have my full support. Theory and Practice go hand in hand. In more than 20 years in the technology industry, the most successful practitioners that I have worked with possessed first class theoretical knowledge and skills.

I strongly disagree with this decision. Cutting research into TCS and pure math would permanently damage Leicester's reputation and achieve the exact opposite of "shaping for excellence".

This would be a very dangerous precedent. I strongly disagree. And more: a university is not a professional school. It must contain fundamental research, or will stop being a university.

Silver Professor of Computer Science, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University It is sad to see an administration that fails to understand the interplay of foundational and applied research. In all likelihood, if this proposed action proceeds, it will fail even in its goal to elevate research in applications. In addition, universities are not businesses; who will take a faculty position at Leicester going forward unless desperate?

Of course, I believe the university should be able to make its own decisions. However, I feel their decision is short-sighted and lacks wisdom in that it does not take into account the incredible benefit that basic research has in the community. In particular, the advances in machine learning, AI, datamining, and those fields for which the university would like to focus would not be possible without basic research.

I hope they do rethink their plans. Unfortunately we have seen similar moves in late 90s early 2000 in Mathematics Departments where they thought that they can have only Applied Mathematics without core mathematics (Core faculty was reduced to one faculty/field to cover some courses).

Foundations of computer science is one of the strongest internationally recognisable research centres at Leicester University. Closing it would harm the University's reputation.

For all the above reasons particularly in the time of a pandemic

FOCO knowledge is essential to all AI and data science research.

Privatdozent, UniBw Munich

Ignoring the values of the theoretical foundations of a science, is like cutting off the root of a tree because it bears no fruits.

I am at a loss for words. AI, data science, and machine learning are currently experiencing a spectacular hype, but I thought universities would be smart enough to realize that, to a great extent, it's just that: a hype.

FOCO is at the heart of Computer Science including AI, Machine learning etc. It is impossible to learn/research AI+ without FOCO.