EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Mathematics for Real-World Systems II

我们建议成功的MathSys博士培训中心进入一个新阶段，该中心将解决“数学和计算建模”的呼叫优先领域。先进的定量技能和应用数学建模对于应对生物医学和卫生部门、现代工业和数字经济带来的当代挑战至关重要。英国就业和技能委员会以及英国科技城已经确定，这一领域的技能短缺是英国科技部门面临的主要挑战之一：严重缺乏具有技术技能的训练有素的研究人员，更重要的是，缺乏将这些技能转化为与最终用户合作的有效解决方案的能力。我们的提案通过一个跨学科的、基于队列的培训计划来解决这一需求，该计划将为下一代研究人员提供尖端的方法工具包和外部最终用户参与的经验，以解决从数学生物学到高科技领域的各种现实问题。我们的硕士培训（以及持续的博士发展）将提供与所有应用建模相关的核心数学技术，但也将侧重于两个交叉的方法主题，我们认为这是复杂多尺度系统预测的关键：跨空间和时间尺度的建模；结合复杂数据和机械模型的混合建模。这些主题遍及许多活跃的研究领域，并将影响未来几十年的数学和计算建模。CDT的一个核心要素将是在整个教学和研究阶段与最终用户进行富有成效和有影响力的接触。这是MathSys CDT的一个显著特性，在我们的新提案中得到了进一步扩展。硕士研究学习小组为硕士学生提供了一个理想的机会，让他们体验在协作环境中工作，并让我们的最终用户积极参与其中。所有博士项目都将由外部合作伙伴共同监督，为现实世界问题的建模提供知识、数据和经验；学生通常需要花2-4周（或更长时间）与这些最终用户一起，以更好地了解具体案例的挑战并激励他们的研究。MathSys CDT的潜在更新为我们提供了扩大外部合作伙伴组合的机会，重点关注四个应用领域的研究挑战：定量生物医学研究，（A2）数学流行病学，（A3）社会技术系统和（A4）工业过程的高级建模和优化。我们将保留一年制的硕士课程，然后是三年的博士课程，这是通过十多年前华威博士培训中心的员工经验和学生反馈成功改进的。但是，该方案的培训和研究部分都将彻底更新，以反映应用研究的不断变化的技术情况和最终用户不断变化的优先事项。与此同时，我们保持了灵活性，允许与最终用户共同创造活动，并允许我们在持续的年度基础上对国内和国际研究环境的变化做出反应。学生们将共享一个专门的空间，包括一个演讲厅和一个公共区域，该区域位于英国领先的数学系之一。该空间在物理上与新的数学科学大楼相连，位于数学、统计学和计算机科学的界面，为我们的跨学科活动提供了一个独特的场所。

We propose a new phase of the successful Mathematics for Real-World Systems (MathSys) Centre for Doctoral Training that will address the call priority area "Mathematical and Computational Modelling". Advanced quantitative skills and applied mathematical modelling are critical to address the contemporary challenges arising from biomedicine and health sectors, modern industry and the digital economy. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills as well as Tech City UK have identified that a skills shortage in this domain is one of the key challenges facing the UK technology sector: there is a severe lack of trained researchers with the technical skills and, importantly, the ability to translate these skills into effective solutions in collaboration with end-users. Our proposal addresses this need with a cross-disciplinary, cohort-based training programme that will equip the next generation of researchers with cutting-edge methodological toolkits and the experience of external end-user engagement to address a broad variety of real-world problems in fields ranging from mathematical biology to the high-tech sector. Our MSc training (and continued PhD development) will deliver a core of mathematical techniques relevant to all applied modelling, but will also focus on two cross-cutting methodological themes which we consider key to complex multi-scale systems prediction: modelling across spatial and temporal scales; and hybrid modelling integrating complex data and mechanistic models. These themes pervade many areas of active research and will shape mathematical and computational modelling for the coming decades. A core element of the CDT will be productive and impactful engagement with end-users throughout the teaching and research phases. This has been a distinguishing feature of the MathSys CDT and is further expanded in our new proposal. MSc Research Study Groups provide an ideal opportunity for MSc students to experience working in a collaborative environment and for our end-users to become actively involved. All PhD projects are expected to be co-supervised by an external partner, bringing knowledge, data and experience to the modelling of real-world problems; students will normally be expected to spend 2-4 weeks (or longer) with these end-users to better understand the case-specific challenges and motivate their research. The potential renewal of the MathSys CDT has provided us with the opportunity to expand our portfolio of external partners focusing on research challenges in four application areas: Quantitative biomedical research, (A2) Mathematical epidemiology, (A3) Socio-technical systems and (A4) Advanced modelling and optimization of industrial processes. We will retain the one-year MSc followed by three-year PhD format that has been successfully refined through staff experience and student feedback over more than a decade of previous Warwick doctoral training centres. However, both the training and research components of the programme will be thoroughly updated to reflect the evolving technical landscape of applied research and the changing priorities of end-users. At the same time, we have retained the flexibility that allows co-creation of activities with our end-users and allows us to respond to changes in the national and international research environments on an ongoing yearly basis. Students will share a dedicated space, with a lecture theatre and common area based in one of the UK's leading mathematical departments. The space is physically connected to the new Mathematical Sciences building, at the interface of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, and provides a unique location for our interdisciplinary activities.