School of Computing Science

A Periodic Table of Relevance Models

Group: Information Retrieval (IR)
Speaker: Sean MacAvaney, University of Glasgow
Date: 27 January, 2025
Time: 15:00 - 16:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 422 Seminar Room

Title
A Periodic Table of Relevance Models

Abstract
Relevance models are the hearts of search engines-- the component ultimately responsible for the final order of the results. They are typically organized into broad categories based on their operational setting---retrievers, re-rankers, etc.---and broken down further into sub-categories based on settings in which they are used---dense retrievers, listwise re-rankers, etc. I argue that this is a flawed conceptual structure, since the operational settings are often independent of the relevance model itself. In this talk, I present alternative view for the organization of relevance models, focusing instead on their inputs and the computational costs of their constituents. Framing in this way allows us to spot unexplored regions and opportunities for future research.

Bio
Sean is a Lecturer in Machine Learning at the University of Glasgow and a member of the Terrier Team. His research primarily focuses on effective and efficient neural retrieval. He completed his PhD at Georgetown University in 2021, where he was a member of the IR Lab and an ARCS Endowed Scholar. He was a co-recipient of the SIGIR 2023 Best Paper Award and the ECIR 2023 Best Short Paper Award.

A Periodic Table of Relevance Models

Group: Information Retrieval (IR)
Speaker: Sean MacAvaney, University of Glasgow
Date: 27 January, 2025
Time: 15:00 - 16:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 422 Seminar Room

Title
A Periodic Table of Relevance Models

Abstract
Relevance models are the hearts of search engines-- the component ultimately responsible for the final order of the results. They are typically organized into broad categories based on their operational setting---retrievers, re-rankers, etc.---and broken down further into sub-categories based on settings in which they are used---dense retrievers, listwise re-rankers, etc. I argue that this is a flawed conceptual structure, since the operational settings are often independent of the relevance model itself. In this talk, I present alternative view for the organization of relevance models, focusing instead on their inputs and the computational costs of their constituents. Framing in this way allows us to spot unexplored regions and opportunities for future research.

Bio
Sean is a Lecturer in Machine Learning at the University of Glasgow and a member of the Terrier Team. His research primarily focuses on effective and efficient neural retrieval. He completed his PhD at Georgetown University in 2021, where he was a member of the IR Lab and an ARCS Endowed Scholar. He was a co-recipient of the SIGIR 2023 Best Paper Award and the ECIR 2023 Best Short Paper Award.

Upwards seminar: Developing EPSRC Grant Proposals

Group: School of Computing Science
Speaker: Lauritz Thamsen and Wim Vanderbauwhede, University of Glasgow, School of Computing Science
Date: 27 February, 2025
Time: 11:00 - 12:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 422 Seminar Room

Topic: Developing EPSRC Grant Proposals

Speakers:
- Dr Lauritz Thamsen (Lecturer, SoCS, GLASS member)
- Prof Wim Vanderbauwhede (Professor, SoCS, GLASS member and LOCOS lead)

Location:
- in Room SAWB 422
- and on Zoom:
https://uofglasgow.zoom.us/j/83269224605?pwd=fpyhejtOQNCdtS1akTWQ36kznQthYs.1

What is Upwards?
 
Upwards is the School’s research culture seminar, covering all facets of developing, conducting, and disseminating research and related topics (e.g. managing a research team, time management to do research, connections between research and teaching). It is open to everyone in the School, but a specific aim is to support ECR development and some sessions are aimed mainly at PGRs and/or PDRAs.

How are the seminars held?

Upwards seminars are held in person in the School to bring people together. However, the sessions are also streamed on Zoom to allow people to join remotely, if they cannot attend in person. The seminars are not recorded and slides are not shared to preserve the off-the-record atmosphere of the seminars, which allows speakers to share personal experiences.

What will this session be about?
 
It is up to the speakers to set the agenda for their Upwards talks, but the idea for this seminar is to hear lessons learned from preparing successful and unsuccessful EPSRC project proposals, including standard/NIA responsive mode grant proposals, with a perspective from an early career researcher and then also a broader and more nuanced perspective from a more experienced academic: what worked well, what didn't, and how not to forget to enjoy the work, while iterating over proposal details for the Xth time and receiving rejections?!?

Learning and Teaching Scholars Leadership Workshop

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 01 March, 2025
Time: 00:00 - 00:00
Location: TBA

This is a workshop for our Learning and Teaching Scholars which will be delivered by Robin Henderson from My Consultants.

Moray Game Jam 2025

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 07 March, 2025
Time: 09:00 - 16:00
Location: UHI Moray

The Moray Game Jam will take place at UHI Moray from Friday 7 March to Sunday 9 March 2025. Hosted by UHI Moray, teams will have 48 hours to create a video or board game based on a theme which will be unveiled at the event launch. There will also be exciting workshops hosted by guest speakers before the jam ends with the gaming playground where members of the public can try out all the games and vote for their People’s Choice. Register today for Moray Game Jam.

Women in Data Science

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 02 April, 2025
Time: 01:00 - 01:00
Location: Heriot-Watt University, United Kingdom

The event aims to tackle the underrepresentation of women in data science by creating a supportive space for them to share ideas and experiences. This event will provide a platform for: Sharing knowledge and experiences through talks and discussions Networking opportunities for women in the field Encouraging collaboration and career development The registration link will be available in the New Year.

Theoretical Computer Science Education (TCSEd) in Scotland: Current Practices and Future Directions

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 14 April, 2025
Time: 01:00 - 01:00
Location: University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom

This one-day workshop, TCSEd: Current Practices and Future Directions, aims to bring together theoretical computer science (TCS) educators from across Scottish universities to share their experiences, reflect on challenges, and discuss the future of TCS education. The workshop will feature short, contributed talks where participants will present their teaching experiences, highlighting specific challenges and innovations related to particular TCS topics or courses. This will provide a platform for educators to engage in practical discussions about how TCS is taught as well as how emerging technologies impact pedagogy. This event is designed to facilitate reflection on both the breadth and depth of TCS topics offered across institutions, from introductory courses to advanced topics such as computational complexity theory, quantum computing, algorithmic game theory, model checking, programming language theory and semantics, to name a few. A central theme of the workshop will be exploring how TCS can continue to serve as a foundational element of computer science education. A key aspect of this workshop is its connection to the SICSA research themes “Theory, Modelling and Computation” and “Scottish Programming Language Institute”, in which many TCS educators are also active researchers. By connecting this workshop with the research themes, we aim to foster a stronger link between the theoretical foundations taught in TCS courses and their practical applications in ensuring software robustness and reliability. Some TCS courses blend theoretical foundations with practical applications, often drawn from research, while others focus on purely foundational theory. For the latter, the challenge often lies in keeping students engaged and demonstrating relevance in light of emerging technologies like generative AI. Registration links will be available soon.

45th IEEE International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 19 July, 2025
Time: 00:00 - 00:00
Location: TBA

The annual IEEE International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems (ICDCS) is a premier international forum for researchers, developers and users to present, discuss and exchange the cutting edge ideas and latest findings on topics related to any aspects of Distributed Computing Systems. ICDCS 2025 is held in the vibrant and compact city of Glasgow, Scotland. Registration will open next year.