This project was initiated and led by Dr Vincenzo Brachetta and carried out by PhD researcher Ritesh Moon at the University of Birmingham. Conducted between January and February 2026, it evaluated the performance and practical usability of Julia on BlueBEAR, the University’s institutional high-performance computing (HPC) platform. BlueBEAR supports multi-core CPU workloads, distributed execution across nodes, and GPU-accelerated computation, with … Continue reading “Research project: Exploring Julia for High-Performance Computing”
Understanding multi-agent learning through large-scale simulations
In this case study we hear from Tuo Zhang, a researcher working in Machine Learning, who has been using BlueBEAR to run large-scale simulations of multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) algorithms. His research focuses on understanding how learning agents behave when interacting with each other in complex and changing environments. In many real-world systems, decision-making is not performed … Continue reading “Understanding multi-agent learning through large-scale simulations”
New Head of Advanced Research Computing
We’re pleased to share that Dr Andrew Edmondson (Ed) has been appointed as the new Head of Advanced Research Computing (ARC), which is also highlighted in a recent ARC story on the University Sharepoint. Many of you will know Ed from his previous roles as Deputy Head of ARC and founder and leader of the … Continue reading “New Head of Advanced Research Computing”
Students’ journey from HPC newcomers to international competitors
Below we hear from the Beariables team in their own words about their experience going to Computing Insight UK and winning the national cluster challenge. Authors: Team Beariables – Harry Vicaradge, Jamie Cline, Ewan Hallatt, Sereya Mee, Adam Wilson and Arthur Baverstock In December, our team the Beariables🧸 attended the Computing Insight UK Conference, where … Continue reading “Students’ journey from HPC newcomers to international competitors”
From BEAR Challenge to research innovation: A student’s journey into HPC
We previously heard from several participants of BEAR Challenge 2025 how they had enjoyed attending the event and the skills they developed (see blog post here), with one team going onto win the national CIUK challenge. In this blog post, we hear from undergraduate student David Adesoye-Amoo on how the challenge helped him navigate a … Continue reading “From BEAR Challenge to research innovation: A student’s journey into HPC”
Modelling Birmingham’s Cultural Ecology and Urban Oral History Using BlueBEAR
In this case study, we hear from Jack (Wei-Chieh Tsai), a doctoral student from History of Art and Geography who examines how cultural intermediaries, including artists, curators, and cultural organisations, have contributed to urban development. My PhD research examines the role of artistic interventions in transforming post-industrial Birmingham between 1986 and 2016. The project examines how cultural … Continue reading “Modelling Birmingham’s Cultural Ecology and Urban Oral History Using BlueBEAR”
Binary classification of lung tissue immunofluorescence images by deep learning
In this case study we hear from Ellen Jenkins, a postdoctoral student from the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing. Ellen is looking into developing a deep learning model to automatically differentiate the tissue from the air space. There is an ongoing project in the respiratory research group (CMH, IIA) which utilises samples of human lung … Continue reading “Binary classification of lung tissue immunofluorescence images by deep learning”
March BEAR Newsletter
Birmingham Environment for Academic Research (BEAR) Newsletter You may have noticed that there was no February newsletter and there was a good reason for this! We were awaiting the release of the exciting news that the University has won funding from UKRI to provide a National Compute Resource (NCR). There are several new posts to support … Continue reading “March BEAR Newsletter”
We’re recruiting! Four new Grade 8 posts in Advanced Research Computing
Following the award of a multi-million‑pound UKRI grant to deliver the National Compute Resource (NCR) GPU‑accelerated system, Baskerville NCR, the University of Birmingham’s Advanced Research Computing (ARC) team is expanding. We are recruiting four new Grade 8 roles to help shape and support this ambitious national-scale project, offering the chance to work with cutting‑-edge‑ technology, … Continue reading “We’re recruiting! Four new Grade 8 posts in Advanced Research Computing”
Research Software Group 2025 Report
We’re delighted to share that the Research Software Group’s 2025 Annual Report is now live on Zenodo! It’s our yearly snapshot of what we’ve been up to in the Research Software Group (RSG) within Advanced Research Computing at the University of Birmingham. The report captures the many ways we have supported research projects this year … Continue reading “Research Software Group 2025 Report”