PROGRAMME
ABSTRACT BOOKLET
Mathematics is at the heart of evidence-based decision support; however, any decision requires data collection, data and signal processing, communications and communication systems to reduce cognitive burden for the decision maker and improve decision making. It is also increasingly common for AI to play a role in summation and processing, meaning that evidence is even more varied in its utility and applicability. This conference will explore both the state of the art in terms of data curation, signal processing, communication and AI to support decision making as well as looking at the impact of these systems on cognitive load. Importantly this conference will focus on research that can start to explore the confluence of these areas in order to underpin decision making in a rigorous and integrated system. As mathematics begins to underpin more of the decision-making process, so it becomes more important that that mathematics is integrated and focussed on providing understandable evidence to the decision maker. Therefore, how the mathematical evidence is then communicated becomes as important as how the mathematics is undertaken.
The conference will aim to bring together a wide variety of participants applying a variety of mathematical methods with defence and security applications. The programme will include invited speakers, presentations and poster sessions, as well as refreshment breaks for informal discussions. It is aimed towards a cross-discipline audience of mathematicians, scientists, engineers and communicators from both industry and academia, in addition to government and military personnel who have an interest in how mathematics can be applied to defence and security problems. The scope of the conference includes but is not limited to the following topics:
- Mathematics for Decision Support
- Decision Support Systems for Defence
- Data mining and Statistical Learning
- Multi-objective and Multi-criteria Optimization
- Data Fusion Systems in Defence Applications
- Signal Processing and Communications
- Multimodal Signal Processing
- Distributed Signal Processing
- Integrated Communications and Sensing Systems
- Sensor Management for Defence Applications
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
- Machine Learning for Defence Applications
- Cognitive Systems to support Decision Making
- Data Collection and Curation for Defence
Call for Abstracts – now closed
Submissions will be considered for the conference based on a 300 word abstract for oral presentation and should be submitted by – extended deadline – 6th June 2025 via https://my.ima.org.uk/ If you are an IMA Member or you have previously registered for an IMA conference, then you are already on our database. Please “request a new password” using the email address previously used, to log in.
Registration
Registration is open via https://my.ima.org.uk/
Conference Fees
Conference Fee – IMA Member £190
Conference Fee – Non-Member £245
Conference Fee – IMA Student Member £115
Conference Fee – Non-Member Student £140
Fee includes entry to the conference as well as refreshments and lunch.
Invited Speakers
Prof Simon Maskell (University of Liverpool) is Dstl/RAEng Professor of Information Fusion and leads the Signal Processing Group at UoL. He is also director of the Distributed Algorithms Centre for Doctoral Training and Chief Science Officer for Voyant, a spin-out focused on solving tracking and data fusion problems.
Through leading a large number of relevant Dstl-funded projects over the previous 23 years, both since moving to UoL in 2013 and prior to that at QinetiQ, Simon has accumulated extensive experience and expertise related to translating academic research advances into systems that offer operational advantages. At a more theoretical level, this work has included writing the most cited paper on particle filters, which has now been cited 16,000 times and won the IEEE Donald Fink prize in 2019.
As well as having significant international links (e.g. to two of the co-authors of that tutorial paper who now work for DST Group in Australia), these advances have routinely involved close collaboration with Dstl and other defence and security organisations: for example, Simon has played a key role in the development of Stone Soup, an open-source framework that aims to change the way that the world’s research into tracking and data fusion can be objectively assessed in pertinent contexts. From 2021-2022, Simon was also President of the International Society of Information Fusion, the world’s professional body for Fusion and Sensor Management.
Phillippa Payne (BAE Systems) is Product Technical Lead for Mission Effectiveness at BAE Systems, Air, supporting both current and future global combat air programmes. Based in the Chief Engineer’s Office, she helps ensure next-generation fighter jets integrate cutting-edge technology.
Previously Chief of Mathematical Sciences at Dstl, Phillippa spent 22 years applying mathematical and statistical methods to areas including cyber, AI, data fusion, chemistry, and biology. Her work supported critical operations such as the Ebola response in Sierra Leone, the F-35 fighter jet programme, the Novichok incident clean-up, and COVID-19 modelling.
She holds patents in graph theory and AI for early sepsis detection, and currently leads the Autonomous Vulnerabilities Project. A Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, Chartered Chemist and Scientist, and Honorary Fellow of the IMA, Phillippa’s research focuses on algorithmic transparency and AI confidence. In 2019 she was named Woman of the Year by Women in Defence UK, and was awarded an OBE for services to defence.
Dr Victoria Nockles (Alan Turing Institute) is Principal Investigator of the Defence AI Research Centre at the Alan Turing Institute, leading research in: AI for Space and Aeronautics, AI for Arctic Security, the electromagnetic environment, multi-agent and autonomous systems, counter AI, and synthetic environments. She sits on the board and is a founding member of The Institute on AI for Space Sustainability and established The Alan Turing Institute special interest group on Machine Learning for Radio Frequency applications.
She is passionate about applying AI to Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) a domain that she first worked on during her PhD at the University of Oxford. In previous roles she was a Radio Frequency Fellow, and worked at DSTL as a SAR scientist and as a data scientist developing novel techniques for geospatial analysis and SAR capability development. Her long-term goal is to revolutionise the way the UK explores, understands, and exploits AI in space.
Organising Committee
Mike Thain (Dstl) – Chair
Natalie Flaherty (Thales UK)
James Hopgood (University of Edinburgh)
Joseph Spencer (Leonardo)
John Thompson (University of Edinburgh)
For further information, please contact the
Conferences Department: conferences@ima.org.uk Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, Catherine Richards House, 16 Nelson Street, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS1 1EF, UK.
