New CUP journal to explore the impact of data science on engineering

Support from Lloyds Register Foundation will help fund publication of Open Access research  

A new open access journal from Cambridge University Press will explore the transformative effect of data science on engineering. 

Launched this week with support from global charity Lloyd’s Register Foundation, Data-Centric Engineering will look at how the revolution in sensing, measurement, and data capture is driving the discovery of new materials, and new methods of manufacture, operation, control and construction. 

It will be the first cross-disciplinary journal to focus on research at the intersection of data sciences such as applied maths, statistical and computing science, with all areas of engineering. Alongside cutting-edge research, position papers will also be published exploring related ethical, legal, security and policy issues. 

Data-Centric Engineering’s Editor-in Chief, Mark Girolami from the University of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering, said: “Data-Centric Engineering is not a new concept; data has always been at heart of engineering science and practice. 

“What we are seeing now is a confluence of both digital and data technologies that is driving a transformation within all engineering sectors, their associated professions, practice and policy. 

“From the use of sensors and the data they collect to enable autonomous vehicles, through to the new measurement techniques improving the performance of aero engines, the  commercial development of data itself as an asset and a myriad other examples, our journal will provide a dedicated, open-access venue to promote the advances promising safer, more resilient and more reliable infrastructure, systems, products and design.” 

Global charity, the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, has pledged support for the new journal, providing funding that will enable unfunded researchers to publish their research on an open access basis. 

The Foundation has been at the forefront of advocating and funding the use of data-intensive technology in engineering, as part of its mission to secure high technical standards of design that enhance the safety of life and property. 

Dr Ruth Boumphrey, Director of Research at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, said: “The application of Data Centric Engineering has the potential to deliver huge benefits to society. This new journal is a huge step forward in bringing those benefits to life, enabling sharing of knowledge, experience and data in an open and accessible way for all.” 

The journal will be officially launched at this week’s International Congress for Industry and Applied Maths (ICIAM) in Valencia, with the first issue due for publication in 2020. It will be free to read on Cambridge Core, the online repository of books and journals published by the Press. 

Mandy Hill, Managing Director of Academic Publishing at Cambridge University Press, said: “The launch of Data-Centric Engineering is in recognition and response to the pressing need for a journal that appeals to both data scientists and to engineers; one that helps to accelerate the dissemination of ideas in this hugely exciting, important and fast-growing area of research. 

“It also reaffirms the Press’s commitment to open research and to making knowledge accessible to all as we transition to a sustainable, open future for journals publishing.”