Computer Science - Creating intelligent simulated robotic scientists

Supervisor: Dr Gabriella Pizzuto

Bio: After completing my degree in Theoretical Physics in Genoa, Italy, I started my PhD in Civil Engineering in Birmingham in 2012 and completed it in 2016. From 2015 to 2011, I was employed in several postdoctoral positions in Birmingham and in Bradford and, since 2022, I have covered lectureship positions in Bradford and Liverpool. My scientific interest has been numerical modelling of multiphase non-Newtonian flow applied in water management and, more specifically, anaerobic digestion for wastewater treatment. After using and developing finite-volume Computational Fluid dynamics (CFD) models, my focus shifted towards developing new models and methodologies for the Lattice-Boltzmann method, and I am now part of the OpenLB development team. My most recent interest consists of investigating the possibility of linking CFD to artificial intelligence. I have contributed to securing several ResearchUK grants for an overall value of around £500,000.

Email: gabriella.pizzuto@liverpool.ac.uk

School: Electrical Engineering, Electronics, and Computer Science

Department: Computer Science

Module code: COMP298

Suitable for students of: Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Computer science

Desired experience or requirements: Excellent programming skills (Python). Also, familiarity with robotic simulation environments is desirable but not essential

Places available: 2

Start dates: 10 June 2024

Project length: 12 weeks 

Virtual option: No

Project description:

The potential use of robotics for laboratory experiments offers an attractive route to alleviate scientists from tedious tasks while accelerating the process of obtaining new materials, where topical issues such as climate change and disease risks worldwide would greatly benefit. This project will continue on our previous outputs by creating novel simulated robotic examples representative of laboratory robotic tasks. This project will be in close collaboration with other researchers at the University of Toronto, where it is envisioned that the novel outputs will result in a peer-reviewed article.

Additional requirements: N/A