Institute for Analytics and Data Science

23/06/2025

A huge thank you to everyone who made The Institute for Analytics and Data Science (IADS): AI for Services Hub- Industry Engagement Event a great success!

Hosted at the University of Essexiversity of Essex, this event brought together leaders from industry, the public sector, and academia to explore the evolving role of AI in public services and beyond. From inspiring talks, valuable networking, and fantastic food, every part of the day reflected the strength of our AI community.
Special thanks to the IADS Director Haris Mouratidis and Deputy Director Dr Marta Fernandez De Arroyabe for their leadership, our outstanding speakers for sharing their insights, the attendees for their enthusiasm, and the dedicated volunteers for their hard work.

Grateful to the University for providing an excellent venue and continued support. The event was also part of the wider IADS Data Science Week, reinforcing our commitment to driving innovation across disciplines.
Onward and upward as we build stronger collaborations for AI-driven impact! 💡

15/04/2025

🚨 Exciting course announcement for the Essex Summer School in Social Science Data Analysis 2025! 🚨

“Analysing Multimodal Language Data for Quantitative Social Science”

Feel free to share with anyone who might be interested in this learning opportunity!

📢 New Course Alert!

Analysing Multimodal Language Data for Quantitative Social Science

Unlock the potential of audio, video and text in your research with cutting-edge tools for transcription, speech recognition and optical character recognition (OCR).

In this course, you'll gain theoretical insights and hands-on experience with automatic transcription, video annotation and data analysis techniques. By the end, you'll be equipped to design methodologies for multimodal data analysis and visualise your findings using state-of-the-art technologies.

What you’ll learn:

- Foundations of language models, speech recognition and OCR
- Data analysis methodologies for audio, video and text
- How to prepare and analyse multimodal data
- Visualisation of complex data insights

Find out more & apply: https://essexsummerschool.com/summer-school-facts/courses/ess-2025-course-list/2r/

14/04/2025

Are some accents perceived as more aggressive than others? 🗣️

A lecturer of sociolinguistics at the University of Essex (and IADS alumni!) Dr. Cole unpacks the social and linguistic reasons behind why certain UK accents can carry these kinds of stereotypes in this insightful piece for The Conversation.

Exeter City football manager Gary Caldwell hit the headlines claiming his Scottish accent was the reason for being sent off the pitch for the second time this season.

Linguist Dr Amanda Cole of Language and Linguistics at University of Essex explores if Scottish accents really are more aggressive.

Find out more in The Conversation UK:
https://theconversation.com/are-scottish-accents-really-more-aggressive-a-linguist-explains-253375

10/04/2025

New blog: Tackling Hallucinations in Generative AI

Generative AI offers exciting possibilities — but it also comes with challenges, like hallucinations, where AI produces information that sounds convincing but isn’t accurate.

Our recent blog highlights a project focused on reducing hallucinations in Generative AI for conversational AI (cAI) applications, helping to build more trustworthy and reliable systems. You can read how Nikil Patel's work featured as part of this important project.

The project was a collaboration between Algomo, YuLife, NatWest and the University of Edinburgh and University of Essex — a strong example of bridging academia and industry to drive innovation.

Read the full blog:

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08/04/2025

IADS becomes a Friend of the ECRC Initiative 💻🔐

We're excited to share that the Institute for Analytics and Data Science (IADS) at University of Essex has joined
The Eastern Cyber Resilience Centre (ECRC) as a friend of the Centre.

The ECRC is part of the national roll out of Cyber Resilience Centres in the UK which began in 2019.

This partnership strengthens our commitment to advancing cybersecurity research and supporting local businesses in the East of England. By leveraging our expertise in data science and analytics, we aim to drive innovation and build more resilient cybersecurity frameworks for the region.

Read more about this collaboration here: https://www.essex.ac.uk/blog/posts/2025/04/08/iads-becomes-a-friend-of-eastern-cyber-resilience-centre-initiative

Discover how the ECRC can support your organisation with cyber resilience, explore their free membership and resources today:
https://www.ecrcentre.co.uk/

Police-led organisation providing free Cyber Security guidance for SMEs, charities & schools.

25/03/2025

Using AI to Detect Skin Cancer

This month’s team meeting, featured an inspiring talk from IADS alumni and Senior Lecturer Dr Haider Raza, who shared an exciting collaboration between Check4Cancer and the University of Essex. The study formed part of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) funded through Innovate UK.

This partnership explores how machine learning can enhance telemedicine by improving the accuracy of skin lesion classification, ultimately supporting early detection of skin cancer.

🔹 Partnership highlights:
📊 53,601 skin lesions from 25,105 patients (2015–2022) were analysed using dermoscopic & digital images alongside 23 meta-features.
💰 Aims to reduce costs in both private & public healthcare.
🏆 Science & Engineering Health Technologies Alliance (SEHTA) Business Award / University of Essex Best KTP / Finalist MedTech World Awards

An exciting step forward in using AI for better, faster and more accessible skin cancer detection!

25/02/2025

AI Experts Warn: Electricity Costs May Stunt Growth ⚡

Last week, Dr. Haider Raza, a former IADS Research Fellow, spoke to BBC News about the region’s growing role in AI innovation. With the vision for Europe’s Silicon Valley between Oxford and Cambridge and Nscale’s £2bn investment in a data centre in Loughton, there’s huge potential for growth. Dr Raza highlighted the exciting opportunities ahead but emphasised that sustainable energy is key to ensuring AI can thrive.

With AI development accelerating, investment in long-term renewable energy is crucial to power data centres efficiently and ensure innovation thrives. A sustainable AI future starts with smart energy choices! 🌍⚡

The East of England is at the forefront of the government's plans for artificial intelligence use.

25/02/2025

Inspirational Essex graduates Mark Plotyczer and Elton Sbruzzi have been named as finalists in Study UK - British Council Alumni Awards in Brazil.

Mark is a finalist in the Creativity and Culture category thanks to his dedication to bridging the gap between sports and education. Elton has been named a finalist in the Business and Innovation category for his pioneering contributions to Data Science and Artificial Intelligence education.

https://www.essex.ac.uk/news/2025/02/20/two-essex-graduates-chosen-as-finalists-for-brazil%E2%80%99s-study-uk-alumni-awards

25/02/2025

We have 4 new research posts here at ISER. Work with Professor Birgitta Rabe on children's health and human capital, with Professor Meena Kumari on biological ageing, with Professor Paul Clarke on machine learning methods in social science research and Professor Matteo Richiardi on computational modelling and socio-economic policies. It's a lovely place to work and a great community of researchers and professional service colleagues. Please share with anyone you think might be interested in these great opportunities! https://www.iser.essex.ac.uk/jobs

25/02/2025

IADS Team Meeting – Exploring Data Science in Business

In this month's IADS team meeting, we had the pleasure of hearing from our new Deputy Director, Dr Marta F. Arroyabe, who gave an insightful presentation on a Data Science perspective in business.

She covered key topics, including:
📊 Data methodologies used in business research
🔗 Bridging business research with data science
📈 Understanding econometrics in business research
💡 Why data science matters for business and management

Looking forward to more knowledge-sharing sessions like this!

25/02/2025

🔹 More News from IADS Alumni! 🔹

Exciting update from Dr. Ana Matran-Fernandez, who is leading ground-breaking research into non-invasive treatments for perimenopausal symptoms using Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs).

Dr Ana Matran-Fernandez is leading ground-breaking research into non-invasive treatments for perimenopausal symptoms using Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs). With 70% of women experiencing symptoms, this study could offer a safer, side-effect-free alternative to traditional treatments 💪

Beginning in January 2025 and funded by the Royal Society International Exchange programme, the pilot study will see Ana collaborate with the University of Valladolid to investigate the potential of retraining the brain to mitigate these symptoms 🔬

🗣 " Our project holds significance in exploring a novel, non-pharmacological approach to addressing perimenopausal symptoms, potentially providing women with more choices for symptom management”

Beyond symptom relief, this research aims to enhance our understanding of neuroplasticity and brain regulation during perimenopause, paving the way for future breakthroughs in women’s health and neurotechnology 🧠