Facilities and expertise

SPADS CDT staff, students and partners have access to unrivalled expertise, experience and facilities to ensure the delivery of a world-leading PhD training programme.

Academic expertise

The SPADS training programme draws from five Schools at the University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University:

Five world-leading research institutes feed into the SPADS team: 

  • The Institute for Imaging, Data and Communications (UoE) is a leading research institute in signal processing, communications and machine learning, which hosts CDT SPADS. Its expertise extends from signal processing theory through algorithm development to applications in radar, electronic surveillance, acoustics, imaging and communications.
  • The Institute of Perception, Action and Behaviour (UoE) is the UK’s leading robotics research institute with 18 faculty and over 70 RAs and PhD students. IPAB is UoE host for the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, and EPSRC CDT in Robotics.
  • The Institute for Sensors, Signals and Systems (HWU) is a leading research institute in robotics, microsystems, communications, and signal and image processing. ISSS leads the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics.
  • The Institute for Integrated Micro and Nano Systems (UoE) covers the full spectrum of microelectronics and nanotechnologies, from design to fabrication. IMNS hosts the ACRC Academy CDT in Advanced Care and is UoE host for the Applied Photonics CDT. It has in-house capability to process foundry wafers and hosts the Centre for Electronics Frontiers, working with Dstl on low SWAP-C, and hardware-enabled AI.
  • The Maxwell Institute combines HWU and UoE mathematical research and is one of the largest groupings of mathematical expertise in the UK. It hosts the AGQ CDT and the Maxwell Institute Graduate School..

World-leading facilities

National Robotarium
The National Robotarium. A world-leading centre for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, creating innovative solutions to global challenges.
  • The Bayes Centre is the University of Edinburgh's Innovation Hub for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. The technical strengths brought together in the Bayes Centre build on world-leading academic excellence in the mathematical, computational, engineering, and natural sciences in the University of Edinburgh's College of Science and Engineering.
  • The SMC, based in the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh, offers commercial and academic clients access to state-of-the art facilities and in-house expertise in areas such as micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), semiconductor, and nano fabrication.
  • Based on Heriot-Watt's Edinburgh Campus, the National Robotarium has unrivalled technology and facilities, central to the development and testing of robotics and AI solutions across three distinct areas; Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS), Human and Robot Interaction (HRI) and High-Precision Manufacturing.
  • EIDF is a collection of computational, data management and safe haven services supported by the Data Driven Innovation Programme of the Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal.
Research student working in the SMC clean rooms
The Scottish Microelectronics Centre (SMC). The space to innovate advanced semiconductor solutions.

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