Stephen Hailes

Stephen Hailes graduated with a PhD from Cambridge University and came to work at UCL as a post-doctoral researcher, researching in the area of multimedia systems. In that role, he performed the first demonstration of video conferencing over IP networks in the UK. As a lecturer his research interests developed in three main directions: trust and security, in which he was one of the founders of the field of computational trust; networking, in which he has contributed to the development of the next generation Internet and to the security of networked industrial control systems; and mobile and sensor systems. Stephen has built a group, attracted considerable funding, and built a set of interdisciplinary relationships with the aim of improving the nature of the science that can be undertaken in a variety of fields. He has current research relationships and funded research with colleagues in animal biology, neuroscience, chemistry, civil engineering, clinical medicine, psychiatry, and energy. Stephen’s group and his wider contacts conduct research across all stages of the sensing process - from the design of metal oxide semiconducting sensors (for gas sensing), through the development of hardware appropriate to particular deployment domains, and data collection techniques to the adaption and creation of new mathematical tools for the analysis of data. He has ongoing or recent research (with collaborators) in:
• The monitoring and analysis of behaviour in free-ranging wild animals, many endangered species (Cheetah, African Wild Dogs, Snow Leopards, Leopards, Northern Bald Ibis, etc.)
• Ditto for farm animals of various types, both for the purpose of basic science, medical research and in order to understand the epidemiological implications of infection.
• Environmental monitoring – specifically pollution monitoring
• Indoor environmental monitoring – specifically, thermal comfort and its implications for energy
• Indoor localisation and localisation in GPS-denied environments
• Covert channels in sensor networks and security in industrial control systems
• The Internet of Things – from architecture to software support systems, sampling strategies
• Sensors for detecting illicit traffic in cocaine
• Sensors for detecting explosives
• Sensors for detecting by-products of methamphetamine synthesis
• Statistical methods for detecting avoidance behaviour
• UAV robotics and distributed control systems
• Spider biology and biomimetic robotics
• Highly parallel computing for industrial control systems