Cardiff School of Technologies>Staff Profiles>Simon Thorne

Dr Simon Thorne

Department: Department of Computer Science

Office/Location: Cardiff School of Technologies, Llandaff Campus

Telephone:

Email: Sthorne@cardiffmet.ac.uk

Staff Overview

​Dr Simon Thorne is a Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at Cardiff School of Technologies. Simon teaches and researches in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Neural Networks, End User Computing, Spreadsheet Error and Human Factors. Simon is a long standing member of staff having taught at the university for 18 years and is the UCU trade union rep for CST. 

Teaching

Module leader for End User Computing Risk Management (MSc level), Concepts in Artificial Intelligence (BSc level) and a variety of other AI related modules.

PhD/MPhil/BSc Supervision in:

  • Machine Learning
  • Neural Networks
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • End User Computing Risk
  • Human Factors

Research

Dr Simon Thorne holds the Programme Chair for the European Spreadsheets Risks Interest Group (EuSpRIG) and has overseen the publication of 150 articles on spreadsheet error, software engineering, human factors and end user computing management. He has also given keynote talks on spreadsheet risk and error at the Future of Spreadsheets event at Imperial College and a discussion of the Test and Trace system failure for TEDx. 

Simon is an experienced article reviewer having reviewed work in IEEE Access, Inquire, Hawaii International Conference on Systems Science and The Journal of End User Computing amongst others.

Simon is also a peer review associate for the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) reviewing research proposals in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Symbolic Reasoning.

Current research interests: 

  • Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, chatbots and robotics.
  • End User Computing, Spreadsheet Risk and Human Factors
  • Data integrity, interoperability, and reproducibility

Key Publications

Thorne. S, (2012), The Misuse of Spreadsheets in the Nuclear Fuel Industry: The Falsification of Safety Critical Nuclear Fuel at British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL), 45th Hawaii International Conference on Systems Science, IEEE, pp4633-4640

Thorne. S and Ball. D, (2009), The Potential of Example Driven Modelling for Decision Support Spreadsheets, 42nd  Hawaii International Conference on Systems Science, IEEE, pp1-9

Thorne. S, Ball. D and Lawson. Z, (2013), Reducing Error in Spreadsheets: Example Driven Modelling versus Traditional Programming, International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 29 (1), pp40-53

Thorne. S and AlTarawneh. G, (2017), A pilot study exploring spreadsheet risk in scientific research, Proceedings of the European Spreadsheets Risks Interest Group, Imperial College, London, pp77-90 ISBN: 978-1-905404-54-4

Thorne. S and Ball. D, (2008), Exploring Human Factors in Spreadsheet Development, Proceedings of the European Spreadsheets Risks Interest Group, pp 11-21, ISBN 978-905617-69-2

Other Projects and activities

Dr Thorne is the Principal Investigator on a number of projects: 

  • SMART Expertise Project with Yard Digital, Cardiff Council, Natural Resource Wales and Techniquest, 2020-2021, 200K, Co-PI
  • KESS2 with Yard Digital, 2019 – 2022, Neural networks for modelling product archetypes in market attribution, 60K
  • KTP with Yard Digital, 2018-2020,  Neural Networks for Optimising Natural Search Visibility, 142K, PI
  • SMART Partnership with Business Butler, 2019-2020, 78K, PI
  • KTP with Yard Digital, 2017-2019, A Machine Learning Based Approach to Market Attribution, 121K, PI

External Links

  • EPSRC and AHRC Peer Review Associate
  • Programme Chair for the European Spreadsheets Risks Interest Group