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Simon Maskell

Professor Simon Maskell
MEng, MA, PhD, FIET, CEng

Professor of Autonomous Systems
Electrical Engineering and Electronics

Research

Big Data and Autonomous Systems

Big Data is the use of distributed computational resources (i.e., big computers) to tackle problems that involve too much data to fit on a single computer or data arriving at too high a rate for a single computer to ingest and/or process. Frameworks (e.g., Hadoop, Spark, Storm, MPI, OpenMP) exist to handle some of these problems. Research is focused on solving problems that such frameworks alone do not address. Typically such problems involve processing ambiguous, incomplete and conflicting data to extract information pertinent to human decision making.

Autonomous Systems are systems that ambiguous, incomplete and conflicting data to extract information pertinent to automated decision making (e.g., by a robot). From an algorithmic perspective, the distinction between Big Data and Autonomous Systems relates to who makes the decision.

Bayesian Statistics (including Numerical solution methodologies)

Bayesian statistics is a powerful mathematical approach that uses an explicit articulation of prior knowledge to turn data into the information needed for decision making. The decisions can be made by people (e.g., in the context of Big Data) or by machines (e.g., in the context of Autonomous Systems). The focus of Bayesian statistics is primarily on articulating experts' understanding in a way that allows statistics to be used to describe and propagate uncertainty.

Often the mathematics involved in making Bayesian statistics a reality demands the use of Monte Carlo simulation. Such "numerical methods" (e.g., Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), particle filters and Sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) samplers) are widespread. Research focuses on efficient simulation, particularly in challenging scenarios (e.g., involving parameters that are high-dimensional).

Tracking and Data Fusion

Tracking is the task of combing information in the context of an incoming data stream relating to each of many objects (e.g., aircraft observed by a radar). Data fusion involves combining information in the context of data from multiple sensors. Both demand careful application of Bayesian statistics. Research focuses particularly on the use of particle filters, a high performance algorithm that has been demonstrated to be a very effective way of extracting pertinent information in the context of tracking and data fusion problems.

Research grants

Manifold Embedding for X-ray Image Object Recognition

HOME OFFICE (UK)

November 2016 - March 2019

Fighting International Internet Paedophilia – Phase Two.

HOME OFFICE (UK)

April 2015 - March 2017

Ways of Being in a Digital Age: A Systematic Review

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

August 2016 - October 2017

Multi source automated NSIF generation.

EADS INNOVATION WORKS UK

March 2014 - September 2017

WEB-RADR

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

September 2014 - August 2017

Bayesian Analysis of Competing Cyber Hypotheses

ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL

October 2014 - October 2017

PDRA Statistical Analysis

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

January 2019 - January 2023

Navigation Simulation Study – Response to ITT Technical Proposal

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

March 2019 - December 2021

NIHR ARC 2 national social care implementation projects

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK), LIVERPOOL CLINICAL COMMISSIONING GROUP (UK)

October 2019 - January 2029

Improved Conjuction Analysis (ICA)

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

October 2018 - September 2022

Finding MH370

OCEAN INFINITY (USA)

May 2019 - February 2020

Test Coverage Metrics for AI – v2.0

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

October 2019 - March 2021

DynAIRx: Artificial Intelligence for Multiple Long-Term Conditions (AIM)

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)

September 2022 - August 2026

GroundsWell: Community-engaged and Data-informed Systems Transformation of Urban Green and Blue Space for Population Health

MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

October 2021 - September 2026

SERAPIS Lo1 Task 2

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

January 2021 - October 2021

Safety Assurance for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

October 2020 - October 2022

Efficient analysis of solid state characterisation data in the autonomous materials laboratory

UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER (UK)

December 2021 - March 2022

Track Analytics for Quantifying Slavery at Sea

THE ALAN TURING INSTITUTE (UK) (INNOVATION)

February 2021 - April 2021

Robust Orbit Determination for Space Debris - T811-701SD

EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY (FRANCE)

September 2022 - February 2025

Material ID Algorithm for X-Ray Diffraction

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

August 2020 - March 2021

Re-Liv-E

DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA & SPORT (UK)

April 2021 - June 2021

Optimal Interventions

THE ALAN TURING INSTITUTE (UK) (INNOVATION)

July 2022 - March 2023

Goal Decomposition and Information Theory (U86)

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

April 2022 - December 2024

Reactive ISR (U74)

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

February 2022 - April 2023

A multi-static radar network airborne early warning system

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

October 2021 - July 2024

Multi-Output Gaussian Processes for Modelling Historic and Anticipated Cyber Risk

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

October 2021 - March 2022

Tracking for Sonar Contacts

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

June 2025 - August 2025

NON-DESTRUCTIVE ON-ORBIT DETECTION OF MM-SIZE SPACE DEBRIS USING BEAMED MICROWAVE ENERGY

EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY (FRANCE)

December 2025 - November 2027

Stochastic Modelling of Pallet Movement: Build Phase

BRAMBLES INVESTMENT LTD (UK)

June 2025 - July 2027

Combination Antibiotic Accelerator

WELLCOME TRUST (UK)

December 2025 - November 2030

Towards Trustworthy AI: Benchmarking, Validation, and Human Expertise

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

October 2025 - September 2026

Statistically-sound Learning of EW Dynamics for Improved Detection in Congested Environments (SLEW-DID-CE)

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

August 2024 - November 2025

Sensor Fusion – Associate Optronics with Sonar (FASTER)

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

January 2023 - March 2023

Support to Infectious Diseases Team

UK HEALTH SECURITY AGENCY - UKHSA (UK)

November 2023 - May 2024

Test & Simulation Environment Support (U59)

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

January 2023 - March 2023

Target Enhancement – Exploit AIS (FASTER)

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

January 2023 - March 2023

Testing and Evaluation -Check Status Against AIS (FASTER)

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

January 2023 - March 2023

Labelling for Wintermute 2.

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

December 2024 - March 2025

Smart Track Management

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

January 2025 - March 2025

Wind Tunnel Experiment and Simulations for Plume Dispersion

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

November 2023 - May 2024

Sequential Monte Carlo Samplers for Equation of State Uncertainty Quantification

ATOMIC WEAPONS ESTABLISHMENT

October 2024 - September 2028

Support toward a general theory of sensor deception

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

October 2022 - March 2023

How can AI be applied to predict the severity of an infectious disease?

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

April 2023 - April 2026

Royal Academy of Engineering: Research Chair in Information Fusion

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

September 2024 - September 2029

: Service Orchestration (U87)

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

October 2022 - December 2024

Data Accelerator Project (System P & AMR-X)

NHS CHESHIRE AND MERSEYSIDE ICB (UK)

December 2023 - October 2027

Bright Corus WP5.3 (C60)

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

July 2023 - March 2025

Bearings-only target motion analysis (TMA)

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

March 2024 - May 2024

Narrowband Processing and TMA

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

September 2024 - February 2025

FASTER TMA Enhancements

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

September 2024 - February 2025

MIDGARD Phase 2.

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

July 2022 - August 2023

Coherence-Before-Positioning: Integrated RF and PNT.

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE (UK)

July 2022 - November 2023

Stone Soup - Software infrastructure for tracking and state estimation in orbital scenarios

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

July 2023 - September 2024

Stone Soup Algorithms (C70)

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

February 2023 - March 2024

Bright Corvus WP4.1 Support to GMV

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

September 2023 - August 2024

Maximisation of Sensitivity over Long Timelines for Resolving Unresolved Artefacts of Threats (MoSoLT-RUAT)

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

April 2024 - July 2025

A multi-static radar network airborne early warning

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

August 2024 - November 2025

U122: Support to TTCP AI Strategic Challenge

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

August 2023 - January 2025

Meta-Analysis

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

July 2017 - February 2020

iCASE Studentship

UNILEVER PLC (UK)

October 2018 - September 2022

iCASE Studentship

IBM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP (UK)

October 2018 - April 2023

Mapping and identifying modern slavery vehicular activity: A proof-of-concept study

N8 RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP (UK)

May 2018 - July 2019

Samplers for Nuclear Security

AWE MANAGEMENT LTD (UK)

October 2017 - September 2022

Using Machine Lerning and AI to explore systems for costing and managing Mobility as a service

INNOVATE UK (UK)

August 2017 - July 2018

ITT for Test Metrics for Artificial Intelligence

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

May 2018 - March 2020

EPSRC iCASE Studentship

SCHLUMBERGER LTD (USA)

November 2016 - January 2021

Big Hypotheses: A Fully Parallelised Bayesian Inference Solution

ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL

April 2018 - September 2024

Future Space Populations

ROKE MANOR RESEARCH LIMITED (UK)

April 2019 - July 2019

Space Situational Awareness: SSA Collisional Threat (Task 2)

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

March 2018 - March 2019

Space Situational Awareness: SSA Sensor Optimisation (Task 3)

DEFENCE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (UK)

March 2018 - February 2019

AVERT - AI-based Virtual Environment for Risk Tracking in mental health

INNOVATE UK (UK)

August 2018 - October 2020

ALEAD - Artificial Learning Environments for Autonomous Driving

INNOVATE UK (UK)

June 2018 - October 2021