Participating institutes
University of Edinburgh has a long-standing reputation for excellence across the spectrum of disciplines related to biomedical AI.
The main institutes supporting the Centre are distributed across all Colleges of the University: Science and Engineering, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, and Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
School of Informatics
The School of Informatics (SoI) is the largest research grouping in computer science in Europe, and has consistently been ranked top for research power in the last three research assessments by the UK government (2001, 2008 and 2014). SoI is recognised worldwide for its pioneering role in establishing AI, and is routinely ranked amongst the leading research departments in AI in Europe. SoI has long cultivated an interdisciplinary ethos, and has a large and vibrant PhD community with over 250 PhD students. SoI is located in the Informatics Forum and new Bayes Centre Building, the University's hub for data-centred research and innovation, which also hosts a tech start-ups incubator, ensuring a vibrant entrepreneurial and innovation environment. The Bayes Centre will provide an ideal home to the CDT cohort during the taught year, and will provide a base in Informatics to students in subsequent years (who will be co-hosted in the other institutes).
School of Biological Sciences
The School of Biological Sciences (SBS) is ranked 3rd in the UK for research quality (REF2014). SBS hosts 128 independent principal investigators who carry out world-class bioscience research. SBS is the home of SynthSys, an interdisciplinary Centre for Systems and Synthetic biology, which encompasses scientists with expertise in informatics, mathematical modelling, engineering and biology; the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology; the Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution; and the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine. SBS trains 180 PhD students each year and provides training in Bioinformatics, Biotechnology, Systems and Synthetic biology, Quantitative Genetics and Genome analyses.
- School of Biological Sciences
- SynthSys
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology
- Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine
Institute of Genetics and Cancer
The Institute of Genetics and Cancer (IGC) hosts 78 research groups and synergises 3 research Centres – the MRC Human Genetics Unit, Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre and the Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine. The IGC unites clinical, experimental and computer science in a rich translational and multi-disciplinary environment, with strong interactions with informatics and the physical sciences. The IGC links closely with the NHS, and many academic clinicians treat cancer and genetic disorders. IGC PhD training is outstanding, overseen by a well-established IGC Graduate Research Committee, and serving a thriving community of over a hundred postgraduate students through a postgraduate society, career talks, social events and an annual scientific retreat.
- Institute of Genetics and Cancer
- MRC Human Genetics Unit
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine
Usher Institute for Population Health Sciences and Informatics
The Usher Institute for Population Health Sciences and Informatics is a high-energy, interdisciplinary environment dedicated to improving the health of individuals and populations locally and globally through research, innovation, knowledge exchange and education. It encompasses three Centres (Medical Informatics, Population Health Sciences and Global Health), the Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit and, on behalf of Edinburgh University, leads a consortium of six Scottish universities forming the Scottish substantive site of Health Data Research UK. The Usher Institute hosts three postgraduate research programmes in Population Health Sciences, Global Health and Medical Informatics, exploring a variety of research questions towards the delivery of 4P medicine (personalised, predictive, preventive and participatory).
Science, Technology and Innovation Studies
The Science, Technology and Innovation Studies (STIS) subject group within the School of Social and Political Science is one of the strongest centres worldwide for research and scholarship in these areas. It has a distinctive tradition of interdisciplinary collaboration with Science and Engineering and Medicine as well as across the College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences. STIS hosts the renowned Institute for the Study of Science, Technology and Innovation (ISSTI), and the Innogen Institute for life science innovation, bringing particular strengths in ethics, data governance, and Responsible Research and Innovation in relation to both ICTs and life science innovation. Its interdisciplinary doctoral programme, established in 1988, supports a lively community of students in these and cognate fields who benefit from a modular array of core and specialist options.