ICOS
Conducting research into the interface between computer science and complex biological systems and creates next-generation algorithms to understand natural processes and technological systems.
Research group focus
We work at the interface of computing science, machine intelligence and complex biological systems. We develop models, algorithms, software, automation and experimental platforms that make biology more computable, measurable and engineerable.
Our work spans engineering biology, nano-bio technology, bioinformatics and medical informatics, underpinned by artificial intelligence, modelling, optimisation, software engineering and laboratory automation. A central aim is to close the loop between models, experiments and data, enabling biological systems, molecular structures and engineered cells to be designed, measured, analysed and improved more systematically.
By combining computational methods with biological experimentation and molecular measurement, we turn complex biological systems into information-processing systems that can support new scientific discoveries, engineering capabilities and translational applications.
Research impact
We turn interdisciplinary computing and biological engineering research into usable methods, platforms, standards, companies and trained people. We develop algorithms, models, software, automation workflows and molecular technologies that support discovery and translation across engineering biology, nano-bio technology, bioinformatics, medical informatics and complex systems.
We move ideas from foundational research into real-world use. Our members, including PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and academics, have contributed to the creation of multiple research-led companies spanning biotechnology, diagnostics, data-driven biology, software and AI-enabled innovation. These include GitLife Biotech, Invenirex, Nanovery, Insiligence and X-WOW. This entrepreneurial activity reflects a broader commitment to generating economic, scientific and societal value from our research.
Our impact is also expressed through open resources, software, data, laboratory capabilities, collaborative projects, standards-oriented work and the training of researchers who can operate across disciplinary boundaries. Across all of these activities, we work within an ethos of responsible research and innovation, seeking to ensure that the tools we create for making biology more computable, engineerable and automatable are developed with attention to safety, transparency, accountability and long-term public benefit.
Key collaborators
We act as an active, interdisciplinary hub for cross-sector collaboration. Our major funding success stories, such as our large-scale programme grants, routinely connect computer scientists with biologists, chemists, and engineers across multiple university faculties. Beyond our campus, our members lead internationally recognised research projects alongside a global network of academic institutions, government funding councils, and biotechnology pioneers.
Our key partners and collaborators include:
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
- Innovate UK
- The European Union (including major consortium projects like DESTINATION)
- Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng)
- Wellcome Trust