IPS Fellowship Extension

Lead Research Organisation: University of Portsmouth
Department Name: Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation

Abstract

We are applying for a 2-year extension of IPS Fellow Gill Prosser at the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation (ICG) at the University of Portsmouth. Since March 2015, Gill has been responsible for changing the innovation culture of the ICG, increasing staff involvement in impact projects by a factor of three. She has also supported key regional innovation projects through her support of the South-east Physics Network (SEPnet), including a new doctoral training centre (DISCnet) with 6-month industrial placements, and industry-sponsored studentships via the Radiation Detection Doctoral network.

The extension of her IPS fellowship will be vital for both new and existing projects. For example, we have a portfolio of on-going projects that require additional development to bring them to commercial fruition, including projects with smart energy companies, collaborative research with the cardiology unit of King's College Hospital Trust, as well as public engagement projects with museums and science centres. The Fellow will also help foster new innovation projects with the recently established Gravitational Wave Group at the ICG and the new School of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Portsmouth.

In line with the government's Industrial Strategy, The IPS fellow will continue to focus on opportunities within data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence within our thematic areas of energy, health, environment and public engagement. The Fellow will continue to build collaborations for these opportunities and seek funding from the companies directly and from external funders, e.g. UKRI, InnovateUK, STFC.

The Fellow will continue to support SEPnet, but now focused on established collaborations like DISCnet (www.discnet.org.uk) and local astronomers at Southampton.

Publications

10 25 50
 
Description Our IPS Fellow has helped us to harness our expertise in cosmological data science to engage in three areas of innovation and impact: medicine/health; the environment; and space. In health, we have engaged with hospitals including those associated with Portsmouth and King's College, to develop new assessments for cardiology and cancer. For the environment, we have built our Global Earth Model to develop natural risk assessments for countries including Small Island Developing States. And our new space programme includes goals of running design studies (including SMEs) for 2 CubeSats followed by their launch within a 3 year timescale.
Exploitation Route In each of the three areas above, we are building lasting partnerships between our institute and organisations in the South-East, connecting our STFC-funded data science expertise to their urgent concerns, in order to progress from proof-of-concept projects to mature joint publications, data products and codes. Partners will include NHS trusts, environmental charities, and space-related SMEs.
Sectors Aerospace

Defence and Marine

Environment

Healthcare

 
Description As a result of our IPS fellow's activities, we have developed major innovation projects in association with our University themes. These have included our Global Earth Model and Zooniverse assessing environmental risks worldwide, medical studies including Molegazer finding potential skin cancers; and Covid studies of expelled droplet spread. This paves the way to make greater impacts in these areas.
First Year Of Impact 2019
Sector Environment,Healthcare
Impact Types Societal

Policy & public services

 
Description Impact Accelerator Account
Amount £50,000 (GBP)
Organisation Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2020 
End 03/2022
 
Description Impact Accelerator Account
Amount £65,000 (GBP)
Organisation Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2019 
End 03/2020
 
Description Global Landslide Hazard Model (GLHM) 
Organisation Arup Group
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution The Global Earth Modelling (GEM ) group, an interdicsiplinatry group including astronomers and geoscientists, has developed a proof of concept global model for landlides. GEM are working with Arup to ground truth this model and investigate commercial opportunities.
Collaborator Contribution The ICG has provided key expertise in the development of the GLHM in terms of developing the data pipeline, and building a model of landlides initially locally in the Hampshire basin; currentlky within the Uk and in the future globally.
Impact This is an early stage collaboration between astronomers at the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation and Geoscientists from the School of Environment, Geography and Geoscience. The project has received initial funding fromour STFC Impact Accelerator Account and from the University. Initial publications are in preparation and applications for funding have been submitted for STFC Innovation Funding.
Start Year 2019
 
Description Kings College Hospital trust 
Organisation King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (NCH)
Department Cardiology
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Contributions Made Expertise and skills in data science based on astronomical data analysis techniques. Development of web based tools to guide clinical decisions.
Collaborator Contribution Access to unique cardiology data including clinical expertise in interpreting any data analysis results
Impact Outputs have been submitted for publication to high impact jouranl and will be available to clinicians as a web-based tool to advise clinicans on emergency treatment.
Start Year 2018
 
Description Molegazer 
Organisation Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Arising from a Cancer ResearchUK sandpit event the Molegazer collaboration aims to develop early detection of melanoma from time-series analyses of naevi evolution using techniques developed in super nova astronomy
Collaborator Contribution The School of Astronomy and Physics at Southampton are collaborators with us on Super Novae research. Oxford University Hospital Trust are the problem owners and have provided images for initial analysis as well as clinical knowledge.
Impact Still ongoing
Start Year 2019
 
Description Molegazer 
Organisation University of Southampton
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Arising from a Cancer ResearchUK sandpit event the Molegazer collaboration aims to develop early detection of melanoma from time-series analyses of naevi evolution using techniques developed in super nova astronomy
Collaborator Contribution The School of Astronomy and Physics at Southampton are collaborators with us on Super Novae research. Oxford University Hospital Trust are the problem owners and have provided images for initial analysis as well as clinical knowledge.
Impact Still ongoing
Start Year 2019
 
Description SPRAY study group 
Organisation Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution In this project the spread of microscopic froplets and aerosols were mapped using techniques developed in astronomy.
Collaborator Contribution This project has been supported by our STFC Impact Accelerator Account supporting the work of post doctoral staff in mapping the spread of aersols and droplets from images taken in operating theatres.
Impact This is an early stage project. Current outputs are a publication in the Jopurnal of Hospital Infection(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2021.01.026) and proposal fro futher funding have been submitted for STFC Innovation Funds,
Start Year 2020
 
Description Cosmic Stroll - Launch Event 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact Cosmic Stroll is a virtual realirty App. Using Google cardboard headsets the public can engage with ICG research and travel back in time to the early universe. At the launch event an invited audience including local radio, local science venues and colleagues from across the university were able to engage with the App.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Deep data Dive - Cardiology and Seismic Data 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact 20 PhD Physics students from the Southeast physics network came together for this 3 day event. They explored data sets from Cardiology, from King's College Hospital Trust and experimental seismic data from the Scholl of Environment, Geography and Geosciences. The outputs from the Data Dive will guide future innovation projects.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020