In the systems research area, our work covers a broad range of topics related to the design, implementation, experimental evaluation as well as verification and analysis of software and hardware systems. We span all levels of the systems stack: we investigate custom hardware designs and their impact on compilers and systems support; we explore new abstractions for systems software and distributed systems, with an emphasis on performance, security, reliability, and manageability; and we develop new software engineering practices for the design, modeling, and validation of complex software and hardware systems.
Our research in systems is driven by real-world challenges in the domains of cloud computing, cyber-physical systems, cybersecurity, data centres, data science, embedded systems, high-performance computing, pervasive systems, and reconfigurable computing. Much of our work has contributed to novel designs and optimisations for many applications, including big data analysis, biomedical computation, climate modelling, financial simulation, machine learning, policy management, and sensing.
We publish our scientific results across the architecture, data management, networking, performance engineering, software engineering, security, and systems communities. Many of our software and hardware implementations are available as open-source contributions.
Related videos
Towards the Diamond Age
Dust particle sized sensors could enable whole new computer architectures
After a decade as an academic pursuit, there is now a strong belief that dust particle sized sensors could enable whole new computer architectures, complementing cloud-based systems but pushing processing power out to these small devices in the field and bring about The Diamond Age of nanotechnology described in Neal Stephenson's award winning novel of the same name.
Rigorous engineering - What can we do? What should we do?
Developing and applying semantic models and tools for several key abstractions
The REMS project, Rigorous Engineering for Mainstream Systems, is developing and applying semantic models and tools for several key abstractions, including ARM, IBM POWER, and CHERI multiprocessors, C/C++ concurrency, C language, linking, POSIX filesystems, and TLS.
Autonomous computing and software systems
Autonomous computing and software systems and its possible application in the space sector
Professor Julie McCann discusses her work in autonomous computing and software systems and its possible application in the space sector.
Julie McCann: Smart dust
Algorithms that allow distributed wireless networks to become self-organising
Professor Julie McCann takes her inspiration from nature for writing algorithms that allow distributed wireless networks to become self-organising, adaptive and intelligent. Julie's technologies already find a home in monitoring water networks and to monitor pollution in cities. Looking ahead, sensors the size of dust will supersede today's cloud-based processing -- computing intelligence will move out on the edge.
Research groups and centres
Groups
- Adaptive Embedded Systems Engineering (AESE)
- Applications, Platforms and Systems Security (APSS) Group
- Custom Computing Group
- DNA Data Storage Group
- Large Scale Data & Systems Group (LSDS)
- Multicore Programming Group
- Resilient Information Systems Security (RISS)
- Software Performance Optimisation
- Software Reliability Group (SRG)
- Quality of Service Group
- Quantitative Analysis and Decision Science Group
Academics
Academics
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Dr Cristian Cadar
Location
435, Huxley Building
Research interests
Software engineering, computer systems, software security, practical techniques for improving software reliability and security.
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Dr Giuliano Casale
Location
432, Huxley Building
Research interests
Quality-of-service, resource management, fault-tolerance, cloud computing.
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Dr Soteris Demetriou
Location
Room 353, ACE Extension
Research Interest
Mobile computing, security and privacy, systems security, smartphone security, Internet-of-Things (IoT) security.
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Prof Alastair Donaldson
Location
422, Huxley Building
Research interests
Formal verification for multicore software, software performance optimization.
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Dr Naranker Dulay
Location
562, Huxley Building
Research interests
Security, pervasive/mobile/distributed systems, networking, software engineering, systems, and network management, applied machine learning.
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Dr Tony Field
Location
354, Huxley Building
Research interests
Functional programming, engineering for high performance, simulation.
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Professor Hamed Haddadi
Personal details
Professor Hamed Haddadi Professor of Human-Centred SystemsSend email+44 20 7594 2584
Location
I-X, Translation and Innovation Hub (I-HUB), White City Campus
Research interests
User-centred systems, networking, applied machine learning, privacy, security.
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Dr Thomas Heinis
Location
423, Huxley Building
Research interests
Scientific data management, distributed data processing, spatial databases, indexing.
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Prof. Paul Kelly
Location
L3 (upstairs), William Penney Building
304, Huxley BuildingResearch interests
Programming languages, compilers, parallel computing, domain-specific tools and libraries, performance issues, irregular and data intensive applications, performance evaluation, modelling, and prediction.
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Prof. William Knottenbelt
Personal details
Prof. William Knottenbelt Professor of Applied Quantitative AnalysisSend email+44 (0)20 7594 8331
Location
363, ACE Extension
Research interests
Mathematical modelling and optimisation, parallel queueing systems, resource allocation, Markov models, decentralised finance, blockchain, and cryptocurrencies.
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Dr Marios Kogias
Location
407c, 4th Floor, Huxley Building
Research interests
Operating systems, networking, distributed systems, datacentres, in-network compute.
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Prof. Kin Leung
Location
810a, Electrical Engineering
Research interests
Communication networks, distributed and quantum computing, AI / machine learning, optimization, stochastic modeling.
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Prof. Wayne Luk
Location
434, Huxley Building
Research interests
Hardware and architecture, reconfigurable computing, design automation.
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Prof. Emil Lupu
Location
564, Huxley Building
Research interests
Adaptive systems, security, personal networks for healthcare, autonomous vehicles, wireless sensor networks, security for sensor-based environments, security management and authorisation policies.
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Prof. Julie McCann
Location
258, ACE Extension
Research interests
Decentralised algorithms, network protocols, wireless sensor networks, ubiquitous, mobile, and autonomic computing.
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Prof. Peter Pietzuch
Personal details
Prof. Peter Pietzuch Professor of Distributed Systems and Director of ResearchSend email+44 (0)20 7594 8314
Location
442, Huxley Building
Research interests
Distributed systems, operating systems, data management, stream processing, data-intensive applications, networking, systems for machine learning, security, confidential computing, trusted hardware, and decentralised ledgers.
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Dr Holger Pirk
Location
431, Huxley Building
Research interests
Data management, database systems, analytical query processing, and processing models for modern hardware.
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Dr. Azalea Raad
Location
Huxley Building
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Dr. Lluis Vilanova
Location
556, Huxley Building
Research interests
Computer architecture; operating systems; distributed systems; security and privacy; heterogeneous, parallel and accelerated systems; virtualization; cloud; hardware/software interfaces and co-design.