Aberystwyth University has appointed Dr Bernard Tiddeman as Head of the Department of Computer Science.
Dr Tiddeman took up the post of Head of Department on 1 December. Specialising in facial image analysis, Dr Tiddeman joined Aberystwyth University in early 2010 as a Senior Lecturer.
A graduate of Applied Mathematics from the University of St Andrews, he also studied for an MSc in Computer Science at the University of Manchester and a PhD in 3D facial shape analysis at Heriot-Watt University, before developing an academic career as a researcher and lecturer, first at the University of St Andrews, and more recently as Senior Lecturer at Aberystwyth.
An element of his work includes analysing the visual ageing of human faces in 3D which has numerous uses from aiding the search for missing people to improving recognition procedures and aiding surgical planning.
He has published around 60 research papers in Computer Science, Psychology and Medicine and has had over £1 million worth of grants and projects funded by EPSRC, ESRC, AHRC and Unilever.
Commenting on his appointment, Dr Tiddeman said:
“I am very much looking forward to taking on this role and working with colleagues to guide the future direction of the Department. The Department has grown considerably since I started at Aberystwyth and the number of students has also increased a great deal, which is testament to the great work colleagues are doing.”
Congratulating Dr Tiddeman on his appointment, Professor April McMahon, Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University said:
“I’m delighted to welcome Dr Tiddeman to the role of Head of Department. It is extremely pleasing to be able to promote individuals from within the University to positions of leadership and I look forward to working with him.
“He is an experienced and highly respected academic and I wish him well in his new leadership role as he builds on the developments currently under way within the Department and the broader Institute of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science. As a University listed within the top 40 research universities in the UK, it is an extremely exciting time for academics at Aberystwyth.”
Dr Tiddeman takes over from Professor Qiang Shen who was recently promoted to Director of the Institute of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science at the University.
