Employers Forum – AI, automation and mathematics in supporting business decisions

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The Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) is hosting its Employer’s forum at the University of Warwick on 20th September 2023 on the topic of “AI, automation and mathematics in supporting business decisions”. This will be an opportunity for businesses, including SMEs, to explore how AI and mathematics can impact business in the widest sense. There will be a keynote speaker and four further short presentations on topics ranging from automation of computer code to probabilistic modelling for decision making under uncertainty. There will also be poster presentations on a range of related topics and plenty of time for networking.

Call for posters:

Calling all departments of Mathematics, Statistics, Computer science. You are invited to submit posters on topics related to mathematical sciences in industry, including algorithms, ethics, natural language processing, computer vision, sustainability, automation,  mathematical biology, decision support, etc. Accepted poster presenters will be given the opportunity to give a 3-minute spoken promotion of their poster content.

Please bear in mind that the principal audience will be those working in business and whilst many have strong technical understanding, some may not, so posters and talks should include a clear applications section talking about business benefit in clear languages and a key messages section so the key take-home messages really stand out for the business attendees. Deadline for abstract submissions is 25th August. 200 word Abstracts should be submitted through your MyIMA account.  You do NOT have to be a member to submit a abstract, If you would like to submit a abstract then please register for FREE and upload your abstract to the event on the portal.

Registration

This event is FREE to attend. Please make sure you register here!

Travel information

Travelling to the University of Warwick: https://warwick.ac.uk/about/visiting/
Interactive map: https://warwick.ac.uk/about/visiting/maps/interactive
Printable pdf map: https://warwick.ac.uk/about/visiting/maps/campusmap/campus_map_september_20204.pdf
Parking: https://warwick.ac.uk/services/carparks/general_parking
Finding Chancellor’s suite: https://warwick.ac.uk/services/conferences/spaces/central-campus-venues/spaces/rootes

Keynote Speakers

Howard Haughton, Holistic Risk Solutions Ltd/King’s College London
ABSTRACT – The application of model driven engineering for validating financial models
Financial models are mathematical models representing the concepts underlying financial processes such as valuation and risk estimation. Validation of such models is viewed as an essential activity by banking and other financial regulatory authorities. Regulators require institutions to periodically validate financial models to ensure they are operating as intended. In our view, concepts from model driven engineering (MDE) could be employed to support the model definition and validation process. In this paper, we describe a novel domain-specific language (DSL) for expressing financial models, and associated tools for analysing these models and for transitioning to an executable implementation which is correct-by-construction with respect to the models.

BIO
Dr. Howard P. Haughton is a widely recognised expert in quantitative financial risk. He holds a PhD in Mathematical Computer Science and has held senior roles in risk and capital markets at notable institutions, including JP Morgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, Merrill Lynch, and Dresdner Bank AG.
Notably, he’s served as Chief Risk Officer and co-Head of Treasury at a Building Society, where he established the organisation’s Risk and Treasury management policy and departments. He’s also held executive positions at a leading brokerage firm in the Caribbean. He was the Quantitative and
Economic Advisor to the Commonwealth Secretariat, advising sovereign states on matters like sovereign wealth funds, infrastructure development, and project financing for sustainable development.

Dr. Haughton’s impact extends to education, where he developed the Treasury Management module for a major Caribbean stock exchange’s post-graduate diploma and has and continues to train and advise finance professionals in this and across several areas of the capital markets across
within the Caribbean, Europe, and South Asia. 

Martine Barons, University of Warwick
ABSTRACT– Combining mathematical sciences, data and human expertise for decision support – an example from digital archiving.

Organizational decision-making requires good use of available data, the cumulative wisdom of human experience, an acknowledgement of uncertainty and a consistent and appropriate approach to opportunity and risk. In this talk, I will explore how these elements can all be drawn together using the mathematical sciences to provide decision support for business, government and industry, using an example of building a decision support tool for digital risk.

BIO
Dr Martine J Barons came into academia after a first career in accountancy and audit. She now directs the Applied Statistics and Risk Unit, bringing mathematical sciences research and business, government and industry together create bespoke solutions for commercial problems.

Veronica (Ronni) Bowman, DSTL – Real World Digital Twins with applications in Defence
BIO
Professor Veronica Bowman OBE is a Fellow of Statistics and Data Science at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and is internationally recognised as the lead technical expert for Chemical, Biological and Radiological (CBR) knowledge management. She specialises in uncertainty calculation and communication and Bayesian inference. In particular, she has spent many years working with academia to improve understanding of how uncertainty is propagated and how decisions should be taken under uncertainty. She was part of the team that provided uncertainty analysis and model combination to combine academic models for the government response to COVID19.

Karrie Liu
ABSTRACT- Maths in the workplace – empower the next generation

In this presentation, I will highlight the crucial role mathematics plays in the contemporary workplace and how experienced professionals (the “senior” generation) can mentor and motivate the next generation to harness mathematical skills effectively. I’ll emphasize the growing significance of mathematics in diverse industries, such as technology, finance, healthcare, and the creative sector, where mathematical proficiency drives problem-solving, decision-making, and innovation. Additionally, I’ll address common obstacles that deter younger workers from embracing math, including math anxiety and misconceptions about its relevance. Furthermore, I’ll feature my students’ poster presentations and internship experiences at NHS England and Jenssen,  shedding light on their valuable contributions.

BIO

Karrie is a mathematician and data scientist with over 10 years of experience in the UK healthcare and life sciences sectors. She is dedicated to helping her clients achieve business transformation through impactful, actionable insights and end-to-end consulting engagements.

In 2019, Karrie established Hypatia Analytics, which allows her to take on independent data science projects while also dedicating time to pro bono work and charitable causes. She believes that data and mathematics are essential for making better decisions and applies this philosophy to her planning and decision-making processes.

Mark Round
ABSTRACT – Text-generative AI – anticipating the transformation that will be enabled by ChatGPT-like technologies

McKinsey (2023) suggests that, by 2030, activities that currently occupy 30 percent of hours worked across the US economy could be automated. Generative AI will make a major contribution to this trend, leading to ‘occupational shifts’ – as some occupations shrink, others will grow. This talk addresses some of the questions that we have been asked by our customers about text-generative modes (such as ChatGPT) including: what has changed? why this sudden advance in performance? how can we begin to benefit from using them? and what flaws do these models have, when compared to human cognition?

BIO
Mark is a Principal Data Scientist at QinetiQ, with an interdisciplinary background combining both AI and analytics, and the human sciences. He has considerable experience and reputation as a technical lead, working in defence and security, and across wider government, and has delivered proven analytic models into these markets. He spent two years as the Lead Data Scientist for the Home Office’s Accelerated Capability Environment, and his analyses have been used to meet a variety of customer needs, including: the design of public messaging; predicting civil-population responses to peace support operations; planning for UK military tasking in support of the response to Covid-19; the use of fibreoptic signals to categorise ground disturbance activities; the evaluation and assurance of AI solutions for cyber security; and the design of military headquarters. Within QinetiQ, he developed the organisation’s competency model for data science. He specialises in: neural network methods for natural language processing, the analysis of disinformation, the evaluation and assurance of AI-based systems, and the organisational changes required to incorporate such systems into human-machine teams.

Kieran Kalair

ABSTRACT- How consultancy on machine learning, mathematical modelling and analytics. Provides clarity and decision intelligence to solve complex challenges. 

Smith Institute is a mathematics consultancy, we specialise in machine learning, mathematical modelling and analytics. These tools provide our clients with the clarity and decision intelligence to solve their most complex challenges and create a positive and visible impact for society, the economy and the environment.

We operate in a variety of industries including government, defence, energy, transport and of course, telecoms.

Within the telecoms sector, we specialise in the verification of spectrum auctions. These auctions facilitate the fair distribution of spectrum bandwidth, enabling innovations such as the 5G rollout and communication between satellites and Earth.

We are global leaders in spectrum auction verification. In 2021 we won the Queen’s Award for International Trade for our work to successfully verify a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auction. This project was the most complex spectrum auction ever attempted and worth billions of Dollars.

Other recent telecommunication projects include the development of algorithms to make satellite communication more efficient and effective without the need for additional space launches, which have a significant financial and environmental impact.

In our presentation, we’ll be showcasing how embracing data science can unlock efficiencies, enhance profitability and increase sustainability.

BIO
Kieran joined the Smith Institute in April 2021. Before this, he completed his PhD at the University of Warwick, focusing on mathematical modelling and data-science problems in intelligent transportation systems. During his PhD, he worked with Thales, Jaguar Land Rover and Transport for the West Midlands on various transportation problems. Prior to this he completed a BSc in mathematics at Coventry University, and an MSc in mathematics for real world systems at the University of Warwick.

Draft Programme

Organising Committee

Howard Haughton
Jennifer Macey
Martine Barons
Rosalind Azouzi
Richard Pinch
Alan Peacock

More Information
The Applied Statistics and Risk Unit is coordinating Warwick contributions to this event, so questions can be directed to martine.barons@warwick.ac.uk

General Enquires
Please contact the IMA conferences department on conferences@ima.org.uk 

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