This research will investigate secure, privacy-aware, and trusted data share in smart mobility by implementing an end-to-end distributed system that can operate under a zero-trust setting in smart mobility. In an effort to transform the automotive sector as we know it, the industry has turned automobiles into live data centers, producing vast amounts of data. Today, almost all vehicles on the road are equipped with computers and sensors, recording critical mobility data, fundamental to their continuous evolution and daily processes. However, the availability of this data does not guarantee accurate results. Since each automotive company has its own independent ecosystem and no means of cross-examination, the data is considered unreliable. Therefore, the mobility sector needs a way to access critical mobility data without compromising corporations' security. Due to the nature of the industry, the task is quite complex. The automotive industry is traditionally quite centralized. It had to be because a centralized system could prevent cyberattacks. In the early days of digitized vehicles, attack vectors had increased exponentially. To protect the system from external threats, each vehicle manufacturer has created its own security system. While this addresses security concerns, it is incompatible with the approaching decentralized industrial and commercial model, which relies heavily on data sharing. In this project, we will develop a proof-of-concept of Blockchain-based data share solution on vehicles and their owners, manufacturers, and dealers in a secure and privacy-aware way. Such a solution will monetize that data and derive more value from vehicles by increasing utilization and selling unused space through ride-sharing.

ExtAnt will provide the first comprehensive assessment of present day and future high impact extreme weather events in Antarctica, and associated risks. Key risks include impacts of extreme weather on vulnerable ice shelves, the breakup of which can speed up flow of grounded ice and affect global sea level, and on the highly specialised Antarctic biodiversity. This ambitious programme brings together leading UK and international scientists to use new modelling resources and methods to elucidate drivers of extreme events. New modelling capability will be developed to quantify impacts of extreme events on surface melt of ice shelves. These advances will bring a step change over current knowledge of extremes. ExtAnt's legacy will include a dataset for advancing research into broader impacts, for example on ecosystems. The ExtAnt programme of research has been developed around three core research aims (RAs) and specific objectives to achieve these, outlined as follows. RA1. Quantify the relative contributions of key drivers of Antarctic extreme events and determine the role of anthropogenic forcing in specific observed cases. A wealth of new high resolution regional climate model (RCM) reanalysis-driven hindcasts that have been and are being created will be used, along with observations, to establish the most comprehensive record to date of Antarctic weather extremes. This will provide a foundation for assessing drivers of extreme events by quantifying the roles of specific large-scale and synoptic phenomena, including cyclones and atmospheric rivers. New diagnostic model capabilities will provide unprecedented quantitative information on lower-latitude sources of moisture. Anthropogenic drivers will be assessed using a multi-method approach to extreme event attribution in rapid (use existing simulations) or delayed (generating new ensemble simulations) mode. RA2. Resolve present day trends and variability of extreme events and their impacts: in particular, assess the roles of the ozone hole, GHG concentrations and modes of internal climate variability. Antarctica exhibits the largest internal climate variability on earth, therefore in order answer questions relating to trends and variability of the occurrence / severity of extreme events, we will use large ensembles (LEs) of climate model simulations. LEs are created by running a climate model many times (often 10s of times) with the same external forcing (e.g. greenhouse gases (GHGs) or ozone). This will allow us to resolve the phases of internal climate variability most conducive to the occurrence of extremes and over which parts of Antarctica, alongside responses to anthropogenic forcing from GHGs and stratospheric ozone. RA3. Quantify the severity and frequency of future Antarctic extreme events, and associated risks related to their impacts on vulnerable ice shelves, and provide information relevant for assessing impacts on ecosystems. Projections of 21st century behaviour of extreme events will be developed to explore a range of possible futures associated with both internal variability and external forcing. A statistical RCM-emulator will be developed and used to help translate output from LE climate model simulations to local impact-relevant scales. This will provide input/forcing for a newly integrated melt lake model allowing impacts of different realisations of internal variability and different forcing scenarios on ice shelf stability to be assessed. Advanced statistical methods, including machine learning (ML) / artificial intelligence (AI), will be used to select a representative sample of LE projections for downscaling. Additionally, information on extremes relevant to ecosystems will be provided for ongoing and future research into ecological/broader impacts.

The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Nuclear Energy Futures aims to train a new generation of international leaders, at PhD level, in nuclear energy technology. It is made up of Imperial College London (lead), Bristol University, Cambridge University, Open University and Bangor University. These institutions are some of the UK's leading institutions for research and teaching in nuclear power. The CDTs key focus is around nuclear fission i.e. that is the method of producing energy by splitting the atom, which currently accounts for 11% of the world's electricity and 20% of the UK's electricity, whilst producing very low levels of carbon emissions (at levels the same as renewable energy, such as wind). The CDT whilst focused on fission energy technologies will also have PhD projects related to fusion nuclear energy and projects needed or related to nuclear energy such as seismic studies, robotics, data analytics, environmental studies, policy and law. The CDT's major focus is related to the New Nuclear Build activities at Hinkley Point, Somerset and the Anglesey site in north Wales, where EDF Energy and Horizon, respectively, are building new fission power plants that will produce around 3.2 and 2.7 GWe of nuclear power (about 13% of the UK current electricity demand). The CDT will provide the skills needed for research related to these plants and potential future industry leaders, for nuclear decommissioning of current plants (due to come off-line in the next decade) and to lead the UK in new and innovative technologies for nuclear waste disposal and new reactor technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs). The need for new talented PhD level people is very high as many of the UK's current technical experts were recruited in the 1970s and 80s and many are near retirement and skills sector studies have shown many more are needed for the new build projects. The CDT will champion teaching innovation and will produce a series of bespoke courses that can be delivered via on-line media by the very best experts in the field from across the CDT covering areas such as the nuclear fuel cycle; waste and decommissioning; small modular reactors; policy, economics and regulation; thermal hydraulics and reactor physics as well as leading on responsible research and innovation in the sector. The CDT is supported by a wide range of nuclear companies and stakeholders. These include those involved in the new build process in the UK such as EDF Energy, Hitachi-GE, Horizon and Rolls-Royce, the latter of which are developing a UK advanced modular reactor design. International nuclear stakeholders from countries such as the USA, UAE, Australia and France will support the student development and the CDT programme. The students in the CDT will cover a very broad training in all aspects of nuclear power and importantly for this sector will engage in both media training activities and public outreach to make nuclear power more open to the public, government and scientists and engineers outside of the discipline.