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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DSSC (Data Science and Systems Complexity Research Training Programme)

Teaser

Summary

Problem:
Todayâ€™s world is a highly complex system that produces massive amounts of data daily. We can only progress towards urgent global priorities such as sustainable energy, faultless and smart industry or the data-driven economy if we can take into account the dynamic nature of this complex system. In dealing with this challenge, data and complexity research has so far followed separate disciplinary lines. However, such an approach risks to overlook an important aspect of Big Data and complexity, i.e. that complex systems generate big data, and big data help identify, control and analyze complex systems.
The Centre for Data Science and Systems Complexity (DSSC) at the University of Groningen and its COFUND Doctoral Programme address this scientific problem by combining data and complexity research to understand and control complex systems and processes through massive data. The DSSC adopts an interdisciplinary approach and addresses data science and complexity questions from disciplines that range from the fundamental to the applied (mathematics, computer science, artificial intelligence, engineering, astronomy, physics). How to store, archive, and process massive amounts of digital information? How do the parts of a complex system give rise to collective emergent behaviour of the system? How does the system interact, adapt, and how can it be controlled?
At the DSSC such questions are approached within three research lines: Adaptive Models & Big Data, Complex Systems & Engineering, and Advanced Instrumentation & Big Data. Adaptive models & Big Data develops methods and algorithms that enable data-driven model formation and self-adaptation based on continuous monitoring of complex systems, and addresses large-scale computing on big data. Complex Systems & Engineering generates algorithms to verify properties of complex systems and to use data for identifying and controlling such systems. Advanced Instrumentation & Big Data designs new methods and techniques for high data volumes and transmission speeds.
Societal importance:
There is a great need for taking into account the dynamic nature of a complex system as todayâ€™s world demands. An integrated approach is needed that uses data to understand the behaviour of complex systems, by educating experts who can handle data and complexity problems for society at large. In response to this problem, the DSSC innovative doctoral programme trains 10 early stage researchers to become interdisciplinary specialists skilled in both Data and Complexity science, with international, and intersectoral experience, who can solve for Europe the problems associated with the data avalanche and systems complexity.
Overall objectives
The DSSC pursues two objectives. The first objective is to contribute to the societal demand for data and complexity experts by training interdisciplinary specialists and innovators in data and complexity science, endowed with management skills and well embedded in networks in academia and the private sector. The second objective is to help solve current scientific and societal problems related to data and complexity by:
- developing trained, generic algorithms that can overcome the fragmentation of domain expertise and solve families of problems
- developing methods to determine the appropriate amounts of data/computing from a variety of sources to control complex systems with the aim to apply just-enough-data
- creating new methods to design algorithms for monitoring and control, which work in the presence of highly uncertain models or even in the absence of them
- demonstrating these new algorithmsâ€™ effectiveness on real complex systems, e.g. energy systems, high-tech industry, etc.
More information about our training project and results is available at https://www.rug.nl/research/fse/themes/dssc/cofund/

Work performed

Management
All DSSC COFUND management structures have been set up in the first months of the programme and several popularization meetings were organized: a kick-off meeting (13 Apr. 2018) for ESRs, researchers at the University of Groningen and guests (among whom internship partners) and two PhD meetings (13 Dec. 2018, 25 Apr. 2019) featuring PhD posters and presentations.
The midterm review meeting for the DSSC COFUND took place in April 2019.
Evaluation and selection
Recruitment for the DSSC COFUND programme (May-November 2017) included: the advertisement of the call for applications (15 May-15 July); an eligibility check, a skype interview and an on-campus interview; the announcement of the results and dispatch of acceptance and rejection letters on 13 Nov. The DSSC received 120 applications for 10 ESR positions that were all occupied after the first call for applications.
Training and research
The training for the DSSC COFUND ESRs is decided jointly by the ESRs and their supervisors and includes: academic courses relevant to the individual projects; the preparation of an individual essay that details the project and the following stages of the research project; attendance of national research schools in the Netherlands, and relevant conferences, workshops and summer schools; internships; teacher training; transferable and complementary skills development through courses offered by the Graduate School for Science and Engineering.
Dissemination
The DSSC COFUND programme advertised its call for applications via Euraxess, its own website and the websites of collaborators (Big Data Alliance), job search websites (e.g. Academic jobs, Academic positions, Informatics Europe, I am expat, etc.), mailing lists (Computational Neuroscience, IEEE Controls Systems Society), social media (LinkedIn, Twitter). The programme dissemination activities further included a Kick-off meeting and 2 PhD meetings; presentation of posters, talks at (inter)national workshops and conferences, and publications as listed in the DSSC output database; social media (Twitter and LinkedIn) and website updates.
Ethics
Committed to ethical behavior in the programme the DSSC adopted the following measures: it appointed an Ethics and Equal Opportunity Officer; it informed applicants about the ethics structures and training in the programme and instituted procedures for the elimination of conflict of interest and redress during selection. It also screened its ESR projects to detect if they raised ethical concerns (use of human embryonic stem cells, human data, etc.). None of the projects involves human embryonic stem cells. For the project that involves human data these issues are being managed.

Final results

During the first year of their appointment at the University of Groningen, the ESRs were expected to complete a rigorous training programme, in addition to conducting research, which fine-tuned their abilities to continue their project. Therefore, the ESRs were not yet expected to achieve significant progress beyond the state of the art in their research fields. Currently all ESRs completed their first year assignments and are on track with their projects.
In the following reporting period the ESRs will also begin their internships with public and private partners and we expect that their activity will contribute to the partnersâ€™ activity, leading to socio-economic impact.