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The School of Natural and Computing Sciences

Professor Peter Edwards

Professor Peter Edwards
Professor Peter Edwards
Professor Peter Edwards

PhD CITP FBCS FIET FRSA

Vice-Principal Regional Engagement

About
Email Address
p.edwards@abdn.ac.uk
Telephone Number
+44 (0)1224 273021
School/Department
Senior Vice Principals
Personal Assistant
Personal Assistant
Suzanne Fleming
ORCiD
Linkedin

Biography

Having completed an undergraduate degree in Chemistry, I then shifted my academic allegiance and completed a PhD (Leeds) which explored cooperative reasoning in distributed blackboard systems. I  joined the University of Aberdeen as a postdoc in Computing Science in October 1988, before moving into an academic position as a Lecturer in 1991. I was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2002 and Professor in 2009.

As a researcher I have been fortunate to lead a number of major interdisciplinary efforts, first as Director of the ESRC funded PolicyGrid eSocial Science Research Node (2006-2012) and later as Director of the RCUK dot.rural Digital Economy Research Hub (2009-2015). To date, I have secured over £20M in external research funding, the majority of it from UKRI (formerly RCUK) sources. 

I am currently Vice-Principal for Regional Engagement.

I have also held numerous offices at the University of Aberdeen, most notably Head of Computing Science (2002-2005), Head of Graduate School for the College of Physical Sciences (2005-2011) and Head of the School of Natural & Computing Sciences (2018-2021). In addition, I was the founding Director of the Northern Research Partnership Graduate School (involving Aberdeen, Dundee and Robert Gordon universities) between 2007 and 2009. I was a member of the University Senate from 2002 to 2014 (and again 2018- ), and a Senate Assessor to the University Court between 2007 and 2014; in addition, I served on the Operating Board of the University Court for six years (2008-2014).

Regional Engagement

As Vice-Principal I am responsible for leading the development and implementation of a strategy for the University to make an effective contribution to the economic, social and cultural activity of the region. My remit also encompasses innovation strategy and work to enhance institutional performance around entrepreneurship, startups/spinouts, consultancy and commercialisation. Wider responsibilities include digital strategy, and oversight of several strategic estates and digital projects.

Qualifications

  • PhD Computational Chemistry 
    1990 - University of Leeds 

Memberships and Affiliations

Internal Memberships
  • Digital Strategy Committee - Convenor
  • Enterprise & Innovation Committee - Convenor
  • Regional Engagement Committee - Convenor
  • Startup & Spin-out Panel - Convenor
  • University Promotion Committee I - Convenor
  • Gaelic Language Plan Advisory Group - Convenor
  • Advisory Group on Collections Deaccessioning and Repatriation - Convenor
  • Campus Re-imagination Project Board - Project Sponsor/Convenor
  • Sustainable Heating Programme Board - Project Sponsor/Convenor
  • Science Teaching Hub Project Board - Project Sponsor/Convenor
  • Engagement CRM Project Board - Project Sponsor/Convenor
  • Rowett Research Institute (RRI) Ltd - Chair & Director
  • Campaign Management Board - Member
  • Estates Committee - Member
  • Honorary Degrees Committee - Member
  • Information Governance Committee - Member
  • Risk Management Committee - Member
  • TRAC Steering Committee - Member
  • Partnership and Negotiating Consultative Committee (PNCC) - Member
  • University Management Group (UMG) - Member
  • Senate - Ex Officio Member
  • University of Aberdeen Superannuation & Life Assurance Scheme - Trustee

 

External Memberships
  • EPSRC Peer Review College - Member
  • ESRC Peer Review College - Member
  • Carnegie Trust Research Assessor
  • Community Planning Aberdeen Board - Member
  • Regional Inward Investment Forum - Member
  • University of Aberdeen - NHS Grampian Liaison Group - Member
  • North East Scotland Investment Zone Working Group - Member
  • Aberdeen (Tertiary) Education Liaison Group, Aberdeen City Council - Member

Latest Publications

View My Publications

Research

Research Overview

Intelligent information infrastructures built upon the semantic web stack. My interests span models of provenance, trust, information quality, transparency and accountability and the realisation of these in the context of the web, the internet of things, and autonomous systems. My work has a strong applications focus in areas as diverse as food safety, transport, smart cities, logistics and healthcare.

Research Areas

Computing Science

Supervising
View Research Area

Research Specialisms

  • Knowledge and Information Systems
  • Information Management
  • Internet Technologies
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Intelligent Systems

Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

Current Research

Enhancing Agri-Food Transparent Sustainability - EATS
(Aberdeen, Dundee, SRUC, Nottingham)
EPSRC: EP/V042270/1, 2022-2024

 

Funding and Grants

Enhancing Agri-Food Transparent Sustainability - EATS
EPSRC, 2022-2024

PROoFD IT!: Provenance of Food Delivery through IoT
EPSRC Internet of Food Things Network+, 2019

Realising Accountable Intelligent Systems - RAInS
EPSRC: EP/R033846/1, 2019-2022

Trusted Things & Communities: Understanding & Enabling a Trusted IoT Ecosystem
EPSRC: EP/N028074/1, 2016-2019

Trust & Privacy in Smart City IoT Solutions
Royal Society of Edinburgh - Taiwan Ministry of Science & Technology, 2017-2019

The Food Sentiment Observatory: Exploiting New Forms of Data to Help Inform
Policy on Food Safety & Food Crime Risks (with Food Standards Scotland)
ESRC: ES/P011004/1, 2017-2018

Smart Routing
Innovate UK, 2016-2017

Food Safety Assurance: Combining Provenance & The Internet of Things
IT as a Utility Network+ & Food Standards Agency, 2015-2016

Social Media: Developing Understanding, Infrastructure & Engagement 
ESRC: ES/M001628/1, 2014-2016

dot.rural Digital Economy Research Hub
EPSRC (with AHRC, ESRC, MRC): EP/G066051/1, 2009-2015

Trusted Tiny Things
EPSRC IT as a Utility Network+, 2013-2014

Creativity @ Home Award
EPSRC, 2012-2014

A Trusted Mobile Platform for Self-Management of Chronic Illness in Rural Areas - TRUMP
EPSRC - India DST: EP/J00068X/1, 2011-2014

SmartTourism
SFC Horizon Fund, 2011-2014

PolicyGrid II: Supporting Interdisciplinary Evidence Bases for Scientific
Collaboration and Policy Making
ESRC: ES/F029713/1, 2009-2012

BEhaviour for Well-being, Environment and Life - BE-WEL
ESRC (with BBSRC, MRC), 2009-2010

eInfrastructure for Social Sciences
ESRC: RES-149-25-1063, 2006-2009

SwarmCloud
JISC, 2008-2009

PolicyGrid: Semantic Grid Tools for Rural Policy Development & Appraisal
ESRC: RES-149-25-1027, 2006-2009

Access Grid Node Competition - Equipment Award`
ESRC, 2006

Pilot Semantic Grid Service for Environmental Modelling
ESRC: RES-149-25-0011, 2003-2005

Teaching

Teaching Responsibilities

I am not currently involved in teaching activity, other than PhD supervision.

Publications

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Books and Reports

Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings

Contributions to Conferences

Contributions to Journals

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