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London Hopper Colloquium - Celebrating Women in Computer Science
London Hopper 2025
The next London Hopper will be held on 22nd May 2025 at GSA Capital Offices in London and will feature talks from:
Neeraja Bhamidipati, Quantitative Researcher at GSA Capital
Neeraja will be delivering a talk on Systematic Trading at GSA.
Abstract: Quantitative trading firms such as GSA use a combination of mathematical and computational tools to identify and act on profitable opportunities in the market. But unfortunately, being able to reliably predict the movement of a stock far from guarantees a profit.
This talk will focus on the costs of trading in the market, the impact that a large trade causes, and the nuances of executing the "perfect" trade. This talk will be suitable for students from a wide variety of fields, including mathematics, physics, computer science, economics, finance, computational linguistics, and machine learning.
Associate Professor Jiahua (Java) Xu at UCL
Java will be presenting "Trend-Following or Trailblazing: A Balanced Perspective on Research Priorities In academia."
Abstract: researchers often face a choice: should they follow emerging trends (e.g. "hot topics" in crypto, AI) for immediate relevance, or pursue foundational research that benefits humanity in the long run?
Both approaches have strengths and challenges - trend-following offers visibility and timely impact but risks fading with the hype, while trailblazing fundamental research creates enduring value but often fails to attract immediate attention and recognition. This talk explores the balance between these priorities, offering advice for early-career researchers and insights into practical strategies for each approach.
Dr Bhavani Thuraisingham from the University of Texas at Dallas
Bhavani will be discussing "Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence for Securing Transportation Systems."
Abstract: Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques ae being applied to numerous applications from Healthcare to Cyber Security to Finance. For example, Machine Learning (ML) algorithms are being applied to solve security problems such as malware analysis and insider threat detection. However, there are many challenges in applying ML algorithms for various applications. For example, (i) the ML algorithms may violate the privacy of individuals.
This is because we can gather massive amounts of data and apply ML algorithms on the data to extract highly sensitive information. (ii) ML algorithms may show bias and be unfair to various segments of the population. (iii) ML algorithms themselves may be attacked possibly resulting in catastrophic errors including in cyber physical systems such as transportation systems.
In this presentation, we discuss our research we are conducting as part of the USDOT National University Technology Center TraCR (Transportation Cybersecurity and Resiliency) led by Clemson University. In particular, we describe (i) the application of federated machine learning techniques for detecting attacks in transportation systems; (ii) publishing synthetic transportation data sets that preserves privacy, (iii) fairness algorithms for transportation systems, and (iv) examining how GenAI systems are being integrated with transportation systems to provide security. Finally we discuss resiliency issues with respect to transportation systems where such systems and applications must continue to operate in the midst of attacks and failures.
Hannah Janmohamed, 3rd year PhD student (AI and Robotics) at Imperial College London, and London Hopper winner 2024.
Hannah will be speaking about AI "From One Solution to Many: The Power of Diversity in AI."
Abstract: Artificial intelligence has transformed fields as diverse as medicine, law, and robotics, leading to claims that AI is approaching its full potential. But if AI is “solved,” where do we go next? This talk argues that to prepare AI for the challenges of tomorrow, we must shift our focus from finding “the best” solution to discovering many effective solutions.
Most AI systems are designed to optimize for one outcome: the fastest way to walk, the most effective drug, or the highest-performing strategy in a game. By contrast, in this talk, we introduce Quality-Diversity Algorithms (QD) which aim to discover a wide array of effective solutions rather than optimising for only one.
In many scenarios, having an array of diverse solutions offer critical advantages. For instance, in robotics, QD algorithms can enable robots to discover multiple ways of walking. If a robot becomes damaged and its primary gait fails, it can rely on a diverse set of alternatives to continue functioning.
Alternatively, in material design, exploring diverse chemical compositions allows researchers to find substitutes when one material proves difficult to synthesize.
This talk will discuss the exciting advantages of using diversity-driven AI in emerging fields, and how these methods can drive innovation by uncovering a broader range of possibilities.
The London Hopper 2025 is sponsored by GSA Capital.
About the event
The London Hopper is for academic researchers across the UK who are building a career in computing.
The event provides a platform for women in computer science to showcase their research, network with other new researchers, and take part in a research spotlight competition.
Research Spotlight competition
The Research Spotlight competition focuses on female research Master’s and PhD students, providing them with a friendly forum for communicating the essence of their work.
This will be via 3-5 minutes (depending on the number of accepted submissions) in-person presentations. Presentation topics may be from any research area within the field of computing, and may encompass interdisciplinary studies connected to computing.
Prizes are awarded for the following categories:
- 1st Place Speaker: This is the top prize, chosen by the judges. The winner receives £150, a £100 Love2shop voucher, and an invitation to speak at next year’s event.
- Runner-up Speaker: Our second prize second prize is also chosen by the judges. The winner receives £150, and a £100 Love2shop voucher.
- People's Choice: The winner of this prize is voted for by the attendees and also receives £150, and a £100 Love2shop voucher.
- Finalist: The finalist prize of £50 will be given to students who makes a presentation but does not win one of the 3 speaker prizes.
London Hopper 2024
The last London Hopper event was held in-person on 24 May 2024 in London, and featured talks from:
- Professor Yvonne Rogers (UCL)
- Professor Louise Brown (University of Nottingham)
and industry speakers:
- Ana Sanchez (Cisco)
- Caitlin McAuley ESPRC
- Angela Bates (BCS Women)
The winners from the Spotlight Competition 2023, Mannon Flageat (Imperial College London), Shreya Iyler (University of Nottingham), and Cara Lynch (UCL) joined the London Hopper 2024 event to speak about their research. Read the London Hopper 2024 news article.
The London Hopper 2024 was sponsored by BSC Academy of Computing, ESPRC, and Cisco. For more information on the full programme, please visit our Hopper 2024 event page.
History of the Hopper Colloquia
The London Hopper Colloquia grew out of the Scottish Hopper Colloquia and are modelled on the American Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing which is designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront.
These annual American meetings are held as a tribute to Admiral Grace Murray Hopper pioneer of the computer business language COBOL, who inspired many young U.S. Naval computing students during her heyday and still continues to inspire computer scientists around the world many years after her death.
Previous Hopper Events
Supporters of the Hopper
UCL Computer Science
UCL Computer Science is a global leader in research in experimental computer science. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework evaluation ranked UCL first place for computer science; 61% of its research is rated ‘world-leading’ and 96% of its research is rated ‘internationally excellent’.
UCL Computer Science research has made a deep, lasting and sustained impact on all aspects of society. Code written at UCL is used across all 3G mobile networks; medical image computing now means faster prostate cancer diagnosis and has developed cutting edge software for neurosurgery; a human-centred computer security approach has transformed UK government’s delivery of online security.
Our degrees reflect the ever-increasing importance of fields such as virtual environments, financial computing, and machine learning; and new programmes in Web Science and Business Analytics reflect latest trends in technology and industry.
Computer Science enjoys a rich history – it established the first connection to the precursor of the Internet outside the US – and continues to create innovative technologies that change lives with computers.
The BCS Academy of Computing
The BCS Academy of Computing is the Learned Society within BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, and is dedicated to advancing computing as an academic discipline.
By developing and supporting a cohesive community inclusive of scholars, researchers, educators and professionals with a shared commitment to the advancement of computing, the Academy aims to nurture ingenuity, inventiveness and innovation in computing.
It is through our range of activities that we promote excellence in the creation, study and application of knowledge in computing. BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, promotes wider social and economic progress through the advancement of information technology science and practice.
Bringing together industry, academics, practitioners and government to share knowledge, we promote new thinking, inform the design of new curricula, shape public policy and inform the public.
GSA Capital
With offices in London and New York, GSA Capital combines a world-class proprietary platform with innovative thinking to develop and deploy systematic and process-driven investment strategies across all asset classes, geographies and timescales.
We are a collaboration of approximately 150 people. Over 60% of our staff work in research or on developing technology necessary to enable and monetise our research.
We are an eclectic mix of mathematicians, scientists, programmers, economists and a great deal more. At GSA we reward people based on merit and excellence, not necessarily on experience.
We avoid the bureaucracy of larger organisations and keep our management structures flat. Decisions are made efficiently; changes are implemented quickly. People who work here enjoy a culture of trust, innovation and scientific rigour. It is a friendly, open place where people are motivated because they enjoy what they are doing.
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the main funding body for engineering and physical sciences research in the UK. Their diverse portfolio ranges from digital technologies to clean energy, manufacturing to mathematics, advanced materials to chemistry.
EPSRC invests in world-leading research and skills to advance knowledge and deliver a sustainable, resilient and prosperous UK. They support new ideas and transformative technologies which are the foundations of innovations that improve our economy, environment and society. In partnership and co-investing with industry, they work to deliver both national and global priorities.