Breaking News: Model Release for SECRET Competition
Model Release: to access go to link
SECRET Overview
Statistical Emulation for Computational Reverse Engineering and Translation
Welcome to the SECRET international competition in cardiac modelling
This competition aims to assess computational tools for accurate, robust and computationally efficient inference of unknown parameters in complex cardiovascular biophysical models from physiological data. We would expect most of the submitted techniques to be based on surrogate modelling and emulation. We will provide two state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of the pulmonary and systemic circulation, respectively. These models will serve as benchmark examples to assess your methods for fast model parameter inference and uncertainty quantification (UQ). To evaluate the performance of your method, we will provide synthetic data simulated from the aforementioned CFD models with pre-set parameter values, subject to additive observational noise. The true parameter values will be revealed after all participants have submitted their answers.
You will be invited to submit (i) estimates of the biophysical parameters, (ii) the corresponding “best” data prediction and (iii) a measure of estimation uncertainty (standard deviation). The assessment of your method will be based on accuracy and UQ in parameter and function space.
The competition consists of two stages.
Stage one: you will be given the opportunity to familiarise yourselves with the model and construct a statistical emulator for the quantity of interest well in advance of the data being released.
Stage two: after the data have been released, you will be given a limited time interval (one week) to conduct the parameter estimation and UQ analysis and submit your predictions. This limitation is with clinical translation in mind, to mimic clinical practice and decision support.
The participants with the best three entries for each model will be invited to disseminate their work in a one-day conference hosted at the University of Glasgow. The best three entries for each model will also receive a certificate and a financial award, details of which will be announced later. The final goal of the competition is a research publication in a high-impact journal with all six selected submissions, which will provide a platform to disseminate the statistical methods and results obtained. The independent assessment of your method by the competition organisers based on an objective gold standard will be an opportunity for you to promote your work and increase its visibility.
Please refer to the timeline below for all important dates.
Timeline:
16th January – Competition announcement call out
20th March – Release of the models and the challenge description
1st September – Release of the data
8th September – Deadline for participants to submit their predictions
18th September – Organisers make the correct answers available and release the best three entries for each model
23rd October – Conference day
23rd October onwards – Work towards a joint publication
We will reimburse international travel costs for the winners (separately for both models) and will provide further travel support, though capped at UK national travel cost levels, for the 2nd and 3rd places (again separately for both models). We will also provide accommodation for the participants with the best six entries (places 1-3, for both models).
IMPORTANT: Could all interested participants record their interest via the Eventbrite link on the right
This competition is organised as part of the SofTMech Statistical Emulation and Translation Hub: https://gow.epsrc.ukri.org/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/T017899/1.
- Event Organiser: Mihaela Paun from the University of Glasgow
- Co-organisers: Dirk Husmeier, University of Glasgow, Mitchel Coleback, University of California,Mette Olufsen and Alyssa LaPole, North Carolina State University

What happened at the CardiARC Zone
Tue, 23 Aug 2022 12:59:00 BST

SofTMech Team Awarded BHF Project Grant on Tetralogy of fallot
Wed, 15 Jun 2022 09:46:00 BST
Cardiac Imaging in SARS Coronavirus disease-19 (CISCO-19) published in Nature
Mon, 23 May 2022 13:37:00 BST
What happened at the PhD Poster Competition on the 31st May
The event was an in-person Poster competition open to PhD students from SofTMech and CMALS. 28 people registered for the event; 17 presented posters.
After two years of the pandemic this event gave a valuable opportunity to at last ask questions in person, for discussion and perhaps just as importantly to meet some colleagues for the first time. Students participated in the event from the University of Glasgow Schools of Mathematics and Statistics, Biomedical Engineering, Ultrasonic Engineering and Computational Mechanics. Students came from the University of Strathclyde departments of Mathematics & Statistics and Biomedical Engineering.
Prior to the event the students arrived early to set up their posters. The event was opened by Dr Sean McGinty, Director of CMALS. A series of 1 min flash presentations, where each student had to give an overview of their poster by displaying a maximum of 2 PowerPoint slides, set the scene for the poster viewing. One of the students even gave directions to where his poster was; it worked as he finished 2nd !
The posters were judged by a combination of a panel of members of staff and also by the students themselves, who were each allowed one vote for their favourite poster. The standard of posters was high across the board. Certificates and vouchers were awarded to the best three posters.
Prize Winners
1st Prize: Tahani Al Sariri
Hyperthermic temperature and interval induced by magnetic nanoparticles transport in vascularised tumours
2nd Prize: Yuzhang Ge
Gaussian Process for Predicting Left Ventricular Displacements in Diastole
3rd Prize: Alistair McQueen
Computational modelling reveals an intricate interplay between drug release rate and dose on restenosis
Thanks go to the panel of academics for judging the posters, the library for turning around the printing of the posters, catering for the excellent scones, and all the attendees.
We hope the experience of this event will help all the students as they progress in their careers.
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Calendar of Events
- Next Research Meeting (Hybrid) Wednesday 14th December 311B

Research Associated appointed
Mon, 01 Aug 2022 15:53:00 BST
INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP: A SYMPOSIUM ON CONTINUUM QUESTIONS: 12th and 13th May 2022
The Schools of Mathematics & Statistics at the University of Glasgow is organizing the
International Workshop: "A symposium on Continuum Questions"
The workshop is aimed at providing a two-day symposium where the state of the art and future perspectives concerning continuum mechanics and its applications will be discussed.
See link on right for full details and how to register
Attending an academic conference and networking
Attending an academic conference and networking: 24.03.22
Our first informal training event discussed academic conferences, covering:
- what actually happens at an academic conference?
- what can I hope to get out it?
- how do I network effectively?
The event also included a practical exercise on preparing an elevator pitch for networking with senior academics.
A recording of the event can be accessed from the link on the right hand side of the screen.

5th Soft Tissue Workshop 1-3rd June 2021
Tue, 04 May 2021 21:01:00 BST

SofTMech Training Day 28.01.22
Mon, 31 Jan 2022 12:21:00 GMT
CMALS "Show & Tell " Event:Wed. 28th April
Wed, 10 Mar 2021 15:40:00 GMT

On-line St. Andrews SofTMech Tissue Modelling Workshop: 1st - 3rd June 2021
Tue, 28 May 2019 13:11:00 BST

TRAINING DAY JANUARY 8th 2021
Mon, 23 Nov 2020 10:54:00 GMT
Impact of COVID-19
Fri, 20 Mar 2020 12:07:00 GMT

SofTMech Patient Participation Day 20th May 2019, Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel - Innovation center
Mon, 20 May 2019 13:04:00 BST

SIG Event on Fluid Mechanics of the Eye: Tuesday 26th to Wed 27th March 2019
Thu, 31 Jan 2019 12:09:00 GMT

SOFT TISSUE MODELLING WORKSHOP, GLASGOW, JUNE 5-7 2019
Mon, 04 Jun 2018 13:05:00 BST

SofTMech Industry Dialogue
Thu, 10 May 2018 14:28:00 BST
Visit by Professor Rajagopal
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 13:12:00 GMT

Five EPSRC Maths-Healthcare Centres Meeting, University of Glasgow, 19th-21st Sept. 2018
Fri, 22 Jun 2018 10:22:00 BST

FIRST Joint SofTMech Liverpool LCMH Meeting
Thu, 10 May 2018 14:43:00 BST
Charles Taylor from HeartFlow Visit Wed. 7th November
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 12:06:00 GMT

Fellowships for SofTMech staff and students
Fri, 27 Aug 2021 12:26:00 BST