"Foundations" support eveything else. Trying to link everything directly to applications makes for a shallow short-term research base.
T
Todd Wayne Schmid
5 years ago
This is reminiscent of one of the oldest and most pretentious attitudes scientists are regularly faced with. I sincerely hope they change their mind.
F
Filip Dimitrovski
5 years ago
Computer Science is not just about billion dollar startups, but theoretical advances as well. In fact the former were almost always founded by people interested in the later.
A
Anonymous
5 years ago
Lecturer at the University of Liverpool
D
David Pym
5 years ago
All of 'AI, computational modelling, data science and digitalisation' owe their existence to theoretical (logical mathematical, philosophical, statistical, and more) work in the areas it is proposed to discontinue.
M
Maurice ter Beek
5 years ago
Theory explains practice and practice explains theory. Both are fundamental.
P
Paul Krause
5 years ago
This is an extremely short sighted decision and really undermines the credibility and integrity of higher education.
E
Edmund Robinson
5 years ago
I am writing both as a long-serving Professor of Computer Science, and as current Chair of the Council of Professors and Heads of Computing. We've seen this kind of initiative before. Some university decides that they really need to restructure their department so that it concentrates on the current flavour of the month. I do not think I have ever seen this kind of brutal restructuring actually succeed in generating a world-class department with the respect of its peers.
W
Wang Yi
5 years ago
How did you succeed in finding such a vice chancellor?
P
Prof Frederic Leymarie
5 years ago
A misguided decision, which appears to be based solely on the fashion of yesterday.
M
Mirco Tribastone
5 years ago
Shocking.
R
Richard McClatchey
5 years ago
Universities should be investing in Computer Science rather than cutting (in important areas of) its research.
M
Matthias Renz
5 years ago
The proposed plan is absolutely going in the wrong direction, rejecting the global trend in CS and also rejecting all opportunities for ALL sciences (other then CS) that have been achieved in the last 20-30 years and could be achieved in the next decades.
M
Michael Wooldridge
5 years ago
This an astonishingly short sighted move. Computer science is clearly key to the future of the UK, and applications for CS are at an all time high. Leicester should be *expanding* in this area, and not just in fashionable-this-week subjects.
I
Ian Gent
5 years ago
Professor of Computer Science, University of St Andrews
S
Silvia Crafa
5 years ago
Foundational research is like stem cells, thus essential for innovative applications. Instead of cutting FoCo, a strategic priority would be ho hire additional people devoted to the research about bridging the gap between good foundations and new applications.
M
Mark Ryan
5 years ago
How ridiculous. Their strategy will utterly fail -- they won't be able to recruit quality staff in data science -- as well as all the arguments about how stupid the strategy is in terms of intellectual diversity, future proofing, and moral deploredness.
G
Giorgos Christodoulou
5 years ago
Totally short-sighted. There is no way you can properly study AI or data science without proper foundations of CS.
"Foundations" support eveything else. Trying to link everything directly to applications makes for a shallow short-term research base.
This is reminiscent of one of the oldest and most pretentious attitudes scientists are regularly faced with. I sincerely hope they change their mind.
Computer Science is not just about billion dollar startups, but theoretical advances as well. In fact the former were almost always founded by people interested in the later.
Lecturer at the University of Liverpool
All of 'AI, computational modelling, data science and digitalisation' owe their existence to theoretical (logical mathematical, philosophical, statistical, and more) work in the areas it is proposed to discontinue.
Theory explains practice and practice explains theory. Both are fundamental.
This is an extremely short sighted decision and really undermines the credibility and integrity of higher education.
I am writing both as a long-serving Professor of Computer Science, and as current Chair of the Council of Professors and Heads of Computing. We've seen this kind of initiative before. Some university decides that they really need to restructure their department so that it concentrates on the current flavour of the month. I do not think I have ever seen this kind of brutal restructuring actually succeed in generating a world-class department with the respect of its peers.
How did you succeed in finding such a vice chancellor?
A misguided decision, which appears to be based solely on the fashion of yesterday.
Shocking.
Universities should be investing in Computer Science rather than cutting (in important areas of) its research.
The proposed plan is absolutely going in the wrong direction, rejecting the global trend in CS and also rejecting all opportunities for ALL sciences (other then CS) that have been achieved in the last 20-30 years and could be achieved in the next decades.
This an astonishingly short sighted move. Computer science is clearly key to the future of the UK, and applications for CS are at an all time high. Leicester should be *expanding* in this area, and not just in fashionable-this-week subjects.
Professor of Computer Science, University of St Andrews
Foundational research is like stem cells, thus essential for innovative applications. Instead of cutting FoCo, a strategic priority would be ho hire additional people devoted to the research about bridging the gap between good foundations and new applications.
How ridiculous. Their strategy will utterly fail -- they won't be able to recruit quality staff in data science -- as well as all the arguments about how stupid the strategy is in terms of intellectual diversity, future proofing, and moral deploredness.
Totally short-sighted. There is no way you can properly study AI or data science without proper foundations of CS.
Doesn't seem to be a human intelligent choice
"There is nothing as practical as a good theory."