Research IT

Research IT News

Cross-Language Mappings: A TIC Collaboration with voxANN

Benito Matischen, Chandima Samarakoon Mudiyanselage, 15 Aug 2025

Our Research Software Engineers, in close collaboration with the Department of Computer Science, teamed up with local SME, voxANN, to build an AI pipeline that links English and Spanish for smooth, high-quality dubbing — unlocking smarter, scalable media localisation.

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Advancing R at the University

A head and shoulders photo of Martin.  A male with short brown hair and a short full beard wearing a collared shirt standing in a white walled office with vertical windows.
A head and shoulders photo of Martin.  A male with short brown hair and a short full beard wearing a collared shirt standing in a white walled office with vertical windows.
Martin Herrerias Azcue, 5 Aug 2025

Meet Martin Herrerias Azcue, Research Software Engineer in Research IT and one of the leads of the R User Group at The University of Manchester (R.U.M.). The group serves as a hub for R users, providing a lively, engaged community where everyone is welcome to ask questions and to share their R knowledge.

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Transforming Decision-Making for Nuclear Power Systems

Lasse Schmieding, 30 Jul 2025

Discover how our Research Software Engineers have transformed a decision-making tool developed at the University’s Dalton Nuclear Institute. Previously based on large PowerPoint documents, the tool has been transformed into a sleek web application.

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Sprint Forward: Evolving Agile Practice for Research Software Engineers

Members of the RSE team sitting round a conference table discussing agile management techniques
Members of the RSE team sitting round a conference table discussing agile management techniques
Adina Rahim, 16 Jul 2025

The Agile Methods for RSEs training course has evolved into a hands-on, department-wide learning experience that combines real-world agile practice with tailored tools and team collaboration. The 2025 workshop introduced new GitHub features, structured challenges, and personalised facilitation, serving as a valuable onboarding and team-building event for new and returning RSEs.

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A Day of Volunteering in Manchester’s Urban Gardens

A bright pink flower with a black background
A bright pink flower with a black background
Maryna Shedzko, Sarah Jaffa, 9 Jul 2025

Recently, members of Research IT spent a day volunteering with PLANT-MCR, a local gardening co-operative that transforms neglected urban spaces into vibrant green areas. Supported by the University's volunteering leave policy, the team took part in garden maintenance and planting across several city sites, strengthening team bonds and inspiring a renewed commitment to community volunteering.

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PATRAN / NASTRAN Retirement

cartoon of a hand holding a placard that says goodbye
cartoon of a hand holding a placard that says goodbye
Anja Le Blanc, 1 Jul 2025

An important announcement for any users for PATRAN/NASTRAN at the University.

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PyCon UK Comes to Manchester!

A young man sits in the dark on a chair typing on a laptop
A young man sits in the dark on a chair typing on a laptop
Douglas Lowe, 30 Jun 2025

PyCon UK will be held in Manchester for the first time this year. The University of Manchester will have a booth at the conference, organised by members of the eScience Lab, Software Sustainability Institute and Research IT. Find out how you can get involved!

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NVivo Upgrade Now Available

Anja Le Blanc, 26 Jun 2025

If you are one of the many NVivo users at the University you can now update to versions 14 or 15. NVivo 12 codes will not be published next year so all users are strongly encouraged to update.

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Launch of the C++ User Group

3 women with laptops balanced on their knees are pointing at their screens and talking and smiling
3 women with laptops balanced on their knees are pointing at their screens and talking and smiling
Erdem Atbas, 24 Jun 2025

The Computation and Data In Research (CaDiR) community continues to grow! This is a new space for University staff and researchers who work with C++, whether they are experienced systems programmers or beginners. The group aims to create an inclusive community of practice for those involved in simulation codes, high-performance libraries, or object-oriented design.

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Getting Started with Docker: Python “Hello World” Example

Lines of vertical binary code radiating out into concentric circles, the code is overlayed on a background of concentric circles of blue dots which increase in size as they radiate away from the centre point.
Lines of vertical binary code radiating out into concentric circles, the code is overlayed on a background of concentric circles of blue dots which increase in size as they radiate away from the centre point.
Erdem Atbas, Scott Archer-Nicholls, 19 Jun 2025

Get a quick introduction to containerisation with Docker from one of our Research Software Engineers (RSE). Docker packages apps and their dependencies and are an ideal way to solve the "works on my machine" problem. Learn about Docker's main perks: consistency, portability, isolation, and scalability and there are links to extra resources if you want to learn more.

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SPSS 30 Now Available

Josh Woodcock, 13 Jun 2025

If you are one of the many University researchers who use SPSS, you may want to consider updating to the latest version - SPSS 30 is available to you now!

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Research IT GitHub Actions Repository Launched

Donal Fellows, 5 Jun 2025

Donal Fellows, Research Software Engineer, has curated a collection of GitHub Actions that we are making freely available for use across the University. Comprised of a collection of basic automation tasks that he has found useful across multiple projects, he also gives an example of how this can be applied in a simple Python project.

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