On the surface, this decision seems to stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of how "Foundations" impacts practice in industry, and in particular seems to mistake the current exploratory interest in AI and data science applications from the difficult problems that will prevent these techniques from having the industrial impact that is currently predicted. Maintainability, testing and verification, distributed processing and its implications on algorithm design, programming language design and its impact on maintenance costs, are called out in principle as "not having practical impacts" which is just plain wrong headed. Industry does not need the academy to solve the problems it encounters everyday, it needs the academy to solve the problems that effect the very possibility of doing business in a particular way. Basing operational decisions on algorithmic outcomes derived from large datasets is frought with so many "foundational" questions that need a diversity of thinking to address. Narrowing the intellectual basis of university departments to follow "trends" is not just short sighted, it actually inhibits the ability of the academy to contribute in a meaningful way at all.
P
Poteaux Adrien
5 years ago
This is madness...
T
Toby Cubitt
5 years ago
I publish highly theoretical, mathematical, foundational academic work, whilst also being co-founder of a spinout company. The most innovative, transformative applications don't come from narrowly following the latest industry trends, but from properly supporting the abstract, curiosity-driven research from which those future innovations spring. Typically unanticipated and in a completely unexpected direction.
M
Maurizio Patrignani
5 years ago
Are there still people who build something without foundations?
A
Anonymous
5 years ago
I have a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Edinburgh. It is my experience that this kind of applied approach being advocated taken is immensely short-sighted and will only produce run-of-the-mill incremental improvement. This will not create the kind of environment that will attract the kind of first-rate innovators required.
F
Florent Nicart
5 years ago
The University is the only place were theoretical research (and teaching) is conducted without short sight view.
It is easy to let it go.
It will take ages to get it back !
D
Deepak Ajwani
5 years ago
Assistant Professor, University College Dublin
F
Frederic Cazals
5 years ago
The FoCo disciplines mentioned are all key to develop efficient, reliable, and robust algorithms/software. Forgetting this will result in 'glue code' with unsignificant ambition.
T
Thomas Ehrhard
5 years ago
CNRS researcher
IRIF, Université de Paris
A
Alexander Konovalov
5 years ago
Theoretical computer science (and pure mathematics) are fundamental to the very disciplines (AI, computational modelling, digitalisation and data science) Leicester wants to develop.
R
Rodrigo Rill-Garcia
5 years ago
Skipping the fundamental theory is the reason why many students and practitioners struggle to go one step forward in technology: they just don't understand how to do so; they don't know the reasons behind the success of the current techniques
G
Georgiana Ifrim
5 years ago
Associate Professor, University College Dublin
Foundations of Computing are what it says on the tin, foundations, without which computer science students become mere users of computers and technology, rather than researchers and inventors who deeply understand what happens under the hood.
A
Aurore Alcolei
5 years ago
Post-doc, University of Bologna
C
Catherine Cerutti
5 years ago
CNRS researcher, IGFL, ENS Lyon
Fundamental research is necessary in any field, even if its practical application is not immediate!
R
Ranadeep Biswas
5 years ago
Foundations of Computer Science can not be more relevant than current times. The field of computer science is very very new. There are a lot of problems to be solved which can benefit the both academia and industry. This decision makes no sense.
C
Christian RETORE
5 years ago
PhD in math
Prof of CS at Univ Montpellier
A
Alexios Balatsoukas-Stimming
5 years ago
I'm an Assistant Professor at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. I do mostly applied research myself (including machine learning), but I have tremendous respect for basic theoretical research, including, of course, computer science. I find this turn towards what is essentially market-driven research alarming. This is not the role of a university. The move is problematic in and of itself, but the proposed implementation is even more disgraceful.
R
Roberto Di Cosmo
5 years ago
Computer Science is at the hearth of the digital revolution, and foundations focomputer science is an essential component of it. Creating a strong CS department takes years, while destroying it can be done in weeks. It would be in the best interest of society, and of Leicester University, to drop this redundancy plan.
CNRS Researcher, IRIF, Université de Paris
On the surface, this decision seems to stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of how "Foundations" impacts practice in industry, and in particular seems to mistake the current exploratory interest in AI and data science applications from the difficult problems that will prevent these techniques from having the industrial impact that is currently predicted. Maintainability, testing and verification, distributed processing and its implications on algorithm design, programming language design and its impact on maintenance costs, are called out in principle as "not having practical impacts" which is just plain wrong headed. Industry does not need the academy to solve the problems it encounters everyday, it needs the academy to solve the problems that effect the very possibility of doing business in a particular way. Basing operational decisions on algorithmic outcomes derived from large datasets is frought with so many "foundational" questions that need a diversity of thinking to address. Narrowing the intellectual basis of university departments to follow "trends" is not just short sighted, it actually inhibits the ability of the academy to contribute in a meaningful way at all.
This is madness...
I publish highly theoretical, mathematical, foundational academic work, whilst also being co-founder of a spinout company. The most innovative, transformative applications don't come from narrowly following the latest industry trends, but from properly supporting the abstract, curiosity-driven research from which those future innovations spring. Typically unanticipated and in a completely unexpected direction.
Are there still people who build something without foundations?
I have a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Edinburgh. It is my experience that this kind of applied approach being advocated taken is immensely short-sighted and will only produce run-of-the-mill incremental improvement. This will not create the kind of environment that will attract the kind of first-rate innovators required.
The University is the only place were theoretical research (and teaching) is conducted without short sight view. It is easy to let it go. It will take ages to get it back !
Assistant Professor, University College Dublin
The FoCo disciplines mentioned are all key to develop efficient, reliable, and robust algorithms/software. Forgetting this will result in 'glue code' with unsignificant ambition.
CNRS researcher IRIF, Université de Paris
Theoretical computer science (and pure mathematics) are fundamental to the very disciplines (AI, computational modelling, digitalisation and data science) Leicester wants to develop.
Skipping the fundamental theory is the reason why many students and practitioners struggle to go one step forward in technology: they just don't understand how to do so; they don't know the reasons behind the success of the current techniques
Associate Professor, University College Dublin Foundations of Computing are what it says on the tin, foundations, without which computer science students become mere users of computers and technology, rather than researchers and inventors who deeply understand what happens under the hood.
Post-doc, University of Bologna
CNRS researcher, IGFL, ENS Lyon Fundamental research is necessary in any field, even if its practical application is not immediate!
Foundations of Computer Science can not be more relevant than current times. The field of computer science is very very new. There are a lot of problems to be solved which can benefit the both academia and industry. This decision makes no sense.
PhD in math Prof of CS at Univ Montpellier
I'm an Assistant Professor at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. I do mostly applied research myself (including machine learning), but I have tremendous respect for basic theoretical research, including, of course, computer science. I find this turn towards what is essentially market-driven research alarming. This is not the role of a university. The move is problematic in and of itself, but the proposed implementation is even more disgraceful.
Computer Science is at the hearth of the digital revolution, and foundations focomputer science is an essential component of it. Creating a strong CS department takes years, while destroying it can be done in weeks. It would be in the best interest of society, and of Leicester University, to drop this redundancy plan.
2nd year Computer Science student