Top research

The research at the department combines theory with interaction with the application fields in a well-balanced whole. Both the department and Basic Research Unit in the Helsinki Institute for Information Technology were awarded the highest grade in the research review carried out in 2005. Algodan (Algorithmic Data Analysis) is a national Finnish Academy centre of excellence 2008-2013.

In research, the following key areas will be emphasized in the 2010-12 period:
 
- Data analysis. Method development and applications in modern data analysis: machine learning, data mining, information-theoretic modelling. The research into this topic has long traditions, and the research at the department is a world leader in this area.
 
- Networking and services. Research into networked systems and their premises: middleware (including service and application platforms, management of middleware, trust, and safety), mobility (independence of technology and location, wireless communications), information networks, service networks, context-awareness and ubiquitous computing. This area combines the department's traditional research into wireless and mobile computing with new emerging research themes such as middleware and ubiquitous computing. The focus of the research is moving from protocols towards the problems of the application level and their solutions.
 
-Software research. The research into this area will grow considerably during the next three-year period, both in applied and basic research. The focus of software research is on the global development and processes of software, systems of open source code and web technologies and their utilisation, parallel programming, sustainable software technologies and their applicability. During the strategy period, we will strive for world-class skills and networking in each key area.
 
It is possible that pioneering key areas will be considered during the strategy period. We have, among other opportunities, two vacant professorships that we can direct into new focal areas.

Created date

05.02.2010 - 11:47

Not just the local hero

For the Department of Computer Science, the well-being of international staff has a long history. Everyday communication in English is an essential part of this.

“It makes no sense to be just the local hero. If we want to develop further, we’ll need to follow international research standards” emphasises Juergen Muench. The German Professor has been leading the Software Systems Engineering research group at Helsinki University’s Department of Computer Science since 2011.

Linus Torvalds inspiring department students


Linus Torvalds – alumnus of the department, doctor honoris causa of the University of Helsinki, the best known representative of Finnish computer science internationally – visited the Kumpula campus on 23 October. He answered the questions of students and staff during an informal Q&A session attended by some 300 guests. As the floor was open, and Torvalds emphasized that all questions were welcomed, the queries ranged from extreme to extreme

Exactum rooftop greenhouse experiment grows herbs

A greenhouse has been built on the roof of Exactum in a collaboration by the Department of Computer Science and the Fifth Dimension science project. To begin with, sedum grass is growing on the roof and tomatoes, courgettes and chilli in the greenhouse. The greenhouse is 9.4 square metres large.

The motivation for the computer scientists is the estimation that 2% of the greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans are emitted by equipment using information technology. This is more than e.g. air traffic produces globally. To the scientists, this is reason enough to look into how to decrease the impact of information technology on global warming.

Study, teach and do what is fun

New postgraduates have recently been selected for the HeCSE graduate school that the department shares with Aalto University. One of the rising young researchers is Antti Laaksonen.

 

Antti finished his Master’s degree in spring 2011. Those whose job description includes reading lightweight Scrum theses written for the industry may be heartened by the fact that this student wrote his thesis on a most essential area of computer science, i.e. minimization of regular expressions. Antti chose his topic himself, because it was ‘interesting and suitably challenging.’