Research & Industry

The Computational Sciences

Research activities range from the theoretical foundations of computing through software systems, to the application of computational techniques across science. They include mathematics, formal language theory, software systems, mathematical and statistical computation, data visualization, stochastic modeling, and bioinformatics. Most of this research is performed in four departments: Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Mathematics, and Statistical & Actuarial Sciences but large-scale computational research is also performed in Physics & Astronomy, Chemistry and Earth Sciences. The teaching mission of the computational sciences includes almost every student in the University, and for this reason, major Science priorities within Campaign Western include modern computational hardware and software and a Chair in Actuarial Science.

Research and teaching in the computational sciences have attracted substantial governmental and private-sector financial support, including PREA awards, ATOP funding, the Imperial Oil Mathematics Education grant to Science and Education, Institutional and New Opportunities CFI-OIT and ORDCF grants, and the very large, multi-University, high performance SHARCNET computer. Funded twice by CFI-OIT, this facility represents over 27% of supercomputing power in Canada and 50% of the supercomputing capability operated by Canadian universities. There are also numerous research and financial support arrangements with private-sector companies and governmental organizations.

Research activities in the computational sciences are increasingly multidisciplinary. Such activities include strong departments among the mathematical sciences, and between the Mathematical Sciences departments and Medicine, Biochemistry, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Law, Information and Media Studies, Psychology, Economics, The Ivey School of Business and the Faculty of Education. This integrated approach is exemplified by Western's Science-led participation in the Fields Institute for Mathematical Research as a Principal Sponsoring University. We have participation from 40 researchers, five Science departments, the Ontario Research Centre for Computer Algebra (ORCCA), SHARCNET, the Faculties of Education and Graduate Studies, and the VP (Research).

It is increasingly important to be expert in more than one discipline to make significant advances in computational science. Western Science makes every effort to foster such groups. We have outstanding interdisciplinary research teams, including ORCCA in which the search for a Tier 2 CRC has been renewed. Other excellent research teams include the computer vision group in Computer Science and the internationly-recognized algebra and homotopy theory group in Mathematics, led by a Tier 1 CRC, J.F. Jardine; his work underlies areas such as cryptography, and network and language design. Computer Science is also one of the centers recognized worldwide for strength in infinite automata and formal languages, image analysis, and distributed systems management. Applied Mathematics has a strong presence in non-linear dynamics and materials modeling, mathematical biology (L. Wahl, Tier 2 CRC), and financial mathematics. Several researchers in Statistical & Actuarial Sciences study stochastic modeling and simulation problems, including models used in finance, and algorithms for computer simulations in medical sciences. Others conduct research on actuarial models and risk theory, probabilistic models for health management, and the statistics of large datasets.

The computational sciences are undergoing explosive growth worldwide, against which we have recruited some of the best junior scientists. Outstanding faculty appointments have been possible in the areas of compilers and computer algebra, computational chemistry, computational geodynamics, DNA computing, financial mathematics, and symbolic-numeric algorityhms for differential equations. Recent appointments have also been made in areas such as mathematical models of mutations of the human genome. We are committed to a significant presence in mathematical biology with applications in bioinformatics, genomics, and proteomics. We will build a research program in collaboration with Medicine & Dentistry that will complement the existing university strength in molecular biology, and have significant applications in the medical and health sciences.

There is substantial overlap between computational science and Western's strong presence in theoretical physics. Theoretical physics crosses departmental lines, including active particle physics groups within Applied Mathematics and Physics & Astronomy, and an interdepartmental theoretical physics PhD program. Theoretical physicists at Western have forged strong links with Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and we are favoured by the opportunity to secure two jointly funded positions with that institution.

Researchers in Computer Science embrace two related sets of problems. The first set advances core areas of computing and explores its limits. For example, we address questions concerning the fundamental limits in the complexity of computational models, and explore alternative models (e.g., DNA computing and quantum computing). We also study emergent phenomena in large-scale software systems, and mechanisms to control their complexity. With increasingly pervasive computing, questions in the area of distributed computing, network quality, mobile computing, and data security shall also be very important. Such advances in computation over the next four years will require significant infrastructure. Hardware resources are one component of this infrastructure, but software platforms upon which experiments can be conducted. Software infrastructure development is labour-intensive, and as expensive as laboratory infrastructure in the physical sciences. We shall build on Western's position as a site for resource-intensive research to expand our research activities in software systems, both by development of university consortia and through private-sector partnerships.

The second set of problems recognizes that computation is increasingly important to all disciplines. The computational side of bioinformatics addresses algorithms for analyzing genetic and protein sequences. This is a critically important area for significant collaboration between the computational and basic medical sciences. Science has instigated the development of a bioinformatics program involving Medicine & Dentistry, Robarts Research Institute and Lawson Health Research Institute, and two coordinated CRCs have been designated for Science (Tier 1) and Medicine & Dentistry (Tier 2). In the area of computing and the law, we have already seen a deepening interest in intellectual property and licensing considerations. However, the larger issue of the interplay between legal and software architectures in largely unexplored and will have central impact on the way software is built and deployed. The area of data security requires advanced algorithms from the domain of computer algebra to provide provably secure protocols. This is already the cornerstone of e-commerce, and will have increasing impact on distributed systems and legal implications of computing. Enormous quantities of data and information are being generated in many important areas of science, technology, and business. As a result, extensive interdisciplinary research activity has arisen among statistics, computer science, engineering, and environmental science, all in aid of the development of data mining techniques.