Computer Science and Information Systems (PhD / MPhil) - 2012/2013 entry

Birkbeck's Department of Computer Science and Information Systems was founded over 50 years ago, making it one of the oldest academic computing departments. Since 1946, when Professor AD Booth began building the College’s first computer, the department has evolved into a world-class research centre, as witnessed by our RAE 2008 results.

The department has two major research groups: the Computational Intelligence Group; and the Information Management and Web Technologies Group. Our research is focused on data management, data mining and machine learning, knowledge representation and reasoning, logic and artificial intelligence, semantic web technologies, search engines, mobile and ubiquitous computing, computer vision and image processing, adaptive systems, bio-inspired computing and social networks.

We also have a major research collaboration with our neighbouring Institute of Education, the London Knowledge Lab, which is a multidisciplinary research laboratory exploring how digital technologies and new media are shaping the future of knowledge and learning.

Students who successfully complete this MPhil or PhD degree will have gained expert knowledge in their chosen research area and the ability to perform research-led activities in a broader context. In addition, students who successfully complete the PhD degree will have gained the ability to identify and solve complex problems arising in their chosen research area, and will have made a substantial original contribution to this area.

Study resources include a course on research methods for computer science and information systems, regular research seminars, and extensive computing facilities. As a research student, you will have 24-hour access to servers and networked PCs running a range of language compilers, database, data mining and other specialist software.

In 2004, the department set up the London Knowledge Lab, in collaboration with the Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology, and Culture, Language and Communication from the Institute of Education. The London Knowledge Lab brings together computer scientists from Birkbeck and social scientists from the IoE to explore how digital technologies and new media will shape the future of learning and knowledge.

Find out more about current MPhil/PhD students in the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems.

• Dr Andrea Cali: Database theory; logic and databases; knowledge representation and reasoning; financial data management; ontologies and semantic web; and semantics in social networks.
• Trevor I Fenner, MA, PhD, CEng, MBCS: Algorithms and data structures; combinatorial and probabilistic methods; graph theory; web models; programming languages; bioinformatics.
• Sven Helmer, MSc, PhD: Native XML database systems; index structures; transactional management; query optimisation; data management for physics and astronomy.
• Dr Roman Kontchakov: Knowledge representation and reasoning; ontologies and databases; computer science logic; spatial, temporal and description logics.
• Dr Oded Lachish: Algorithms and complexity with a focus on theory and practice of computation with extremely limited resources.
• Professor Mark Levene, BSc, PhD: Web information retrieval and navigation; web data mining; adaptive web technologies; machine learning in games.
• Xuelong Li, BEng, PhD, SMIEEE: Visual information processing; pattern recognition; cognitive computing.
• George Magoulas, BEng, MEng, PGCE, PhD, MIEEE: Learning, adaptation and evolution in complex environments; computational intelligence and applications in user modelling, temporal sequence processing, adaptive systems and personalised learning environments.
• Keith L Mannock, BSc, PhD: Software engineering; information retrieval and hypermedia.
• Nigel J Martin, MSc, PhD, CEng, MBCS: Information management and integration; life sciences informatics.
• Professor Steve Maybank, BA, MA, PhD, FIMA, FRSS: Computer vision; CCTV surveillance; tracking; object recognition; statistics.
• Szabolcs Mikulas, MSc, PhD: Algebraic, modal and temporal logic, and its applications.
• Roger Mitton, BA, PhD: Natural language processing; dictionaries; text corpora; spellchecking for poor spellers.
• Professor Alexandra Poulovassilis, MA, MSc, PhD, CEng, MBCS: Databases; information management, integration and visualisation; learning environments.
• George Roussos, BSc, MSc, PhD: RFID; pervasive computing; wireless sensor networks.
• David W Wilson, PGD, PhD, MBCS: Maturity models in information systems; strategy and cross-cultural issues in global information systems.
• Peter T Wood, BSc, MSc, PhD: Query languages; rule languages; query optimisation; XML compression.
• Professor Michael Zakharyaschev, MSc, PhD, Habil: Knowledge representation and reasoning; mathematical and computer science logic; modal, spatial, temporal, description logics.
• Dell Zhang, BEng, PhD, MIEEE, MACM: Machine learning; information retrieval; data mining.

Potential applicants are welcome to contact academic staff about their research before making a formal application: 

Find out more about the department's research groups and the research activities of individual staff.

You can also contact the research admissions tutor, Dr Peter Wood, with general enquiries about research activities.

• You can apply, and start studying, at any time during the year, although October is the usual start date.