Research and innovation

PhD Studentship

Office for National Statistics

Administrative data is data that has been collected for non-statistical purposes, organisations such as the ONS are now trying to derive methods to use more administrative data to produce statistical outputs.

The PhD research project "Non parametric Bayesian methods in administrative capture-recapture data" aim was to explore the application of Non Parametric Bayesian Methods to capture and recapture methodologies focussing on administrative data.

Collaborative Research

Optimal Outage Planning System (NESO) 

A team of our academics completed a project with the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to develop a tool to facilitate the most efficient economic decision-making when planning for outages on the GB electricity system. This tool provides a solution to the imperative need for better integration of risk estimation into the planning optimization of NESO, and supports the effective management of the Network Access Policy (NAP) process which is required to transition electricity provision to renewable sources.

Accelerated Knowledge Transfer to Innovate Pilot Scheme

Ember Core Ltd

Ember is the first UK all-electric intercity bus company to help the UK reach its zero-emission target. This project develops and implements innovative optimization software to support Ember in scheduling the operations of its rapidly growing fleet of electric buses.

Through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the University of Edinburgh, Ember sought to develop a vehicle scheduling model that took into account sufficient real-world constraints and functionality so it could serve as the primary decision engine for the allocation of vehicles to services. This included not only the assignment of buses to lines and battery charging stations but also the scheduling of various service activities, like maintenance, non-urgent repairs, and cleaning and washing.

The successful development of such a model has given Ember the confidence to integrate it into their operational systems. The model’s vehicle allocation was used in the field for the whole fleet without encountering any issues. Following further validation of the model, the company expects to deploy the model as their core decision-making engine for vehicle assignment, allowing them to seamlessly and efficiently manage its fleet as they continue to scale. This project also acted as a springboard for an upcoming project, competitively funded, which the company is undertaking with the University of Edinburgh to develop novel optimisation algorithms for integrating the planning of further parts of their operation.

Knowledge Exchange and Impact seminar

Police Scotland

The School’s Knowledge Exchange and Impact Seminars are a new initiative to explore the intersection between mathematics and its uses within industry in greater depth.  

Our latest seminar took place in May, bringing together academics, students and experts from Police Scotland to exchange ideas and explore potential avenues for collaboration. 

More information can be found here:  Knowledge Exchange and Industry Seminar with Police Scotland – School of Mathematics