About Us
The University of Edinburgh is one of around thirty units in the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS).
The University of Edinburgh is proud to have been selected as one of around 30 units in the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS). The focus of ELLIS is on Europe taking a leading role in how machine learning and data-driven AI will change the world.
History of AI at Edinburgh
Edinburgh has a long tradition of work in Artificial Intelligence, going back to the 1960s when it was one of the few centres in the world working on AI. The University of Edinburgh has great strength across a wide range of AI areas, including perception, reasoning, machine learning, robotics, natural language processing, the study of natural systems, and properties of AI systems like safety, trustworthiness, ethics and fairness.
Artificial Intelligence research at the University of Edinburgh
Our Mission
The goals of the ELLIS unit at Edinburgh are to carry out world-class research in AI, to train top international students and postdocs, and to generate positive impact in science and society. The unit is developing new methodology, often based on generalising the demands of cutting-edge application areas in science and medicine.
We look forward to collaborating with the other ELLIS units in advancing research in machine learning and AI.
Institutes
Work on AI in the School of Informatics is carried out in four research institutes:
The Institute for Adaptive and Neural Computation (ANC)
The Artificial Intelligence and its Applications Institute (AIAI)
The Institute for Language, Cognition and Computation (ILCC)
The Institute of Perception, Action and Behaviour (IPAB)
Postgraduate programmes, related departments and industry collaborations
The Edinburgh ELLIS unit will co-sponsor the newly established ELLIS program in Natural Language Processing. The School currently hosts several Centres for Doctoral Training (or CDTs) in AI areas. These are large UK government-funded programmes each supporting more than 50 PhD students over 5 years. For the ELLIS unit, the relevant centres are the EPSRC CDT in Data Science, the UKRI CDT in Biomedical AI, and the UKRI CDT in Natural Language Processing. There is also work on data-driven AI in other parts of the University, including the School of Engineering and the School of Mathematics. The Unit also has extensive collaborations with many companies, and has founded several startups.
ELLIS PhD & Postdoc Program | European Lab for Learning & Intelligent Systems
Dr Ivan Titov, Director, Edinburgh ELLIS Unit