Digital Communications

The Institute for Digital Communications (IDCOM) is the UK's leading research institute in signal processing and communications and is home to the Li-Fi research and development centre. We have three major centres of activity; signal processing, communications systems and tomographic imaging. Our programme of research delivers world leading research in signal and image processing and communications from fundamental theoretical and algorithmic work through to its translation to specific audio, imaging, radar/sonar, and communications applications.The Institute has excellent research facilities, including state-of-the-art computing systems and laboratories for agile tomography, and audio signal processing, as well as the Li-Fi research and development centre for visible light communications. Internationally recognised for our research on communications systems and signal processing, we offer research topics including: green radio; visible light communications; cognitive radio; compressive sensing; distributed sensor signal processing; and agile tomography.IDCOM holds the only UK Research Council platform award in sensor signal processing, in collaboration with the joint research institute in signal and image processing and Heriot-Watt University, recognising our world leading research status.

International students arriving in Edinburgh can access various help and assistance to integrate with their new community. This starts at the International Student Centre where advice and assistance is available with fees and finance as well as legal matters such as immigration advice and visas. There is also a number of events organised by the ISC including weekly themed nights representing different countries and subsidized trips around the country. There are also campus wide events such as International Evening and the International Desserts Night to help students bring their own culture to others. The Edinburgh University Students Association (EUSA) is the combination of the unions and the Student Representative Council and has buildings around the campus including Teviot Row House, Potterrow, Kings Buildings House and the Pleasance. Teviot Row House has claims as the oldest purpose built student union building in the world. EUSA is responsible for some 250 societies for students to become involved with outside the classroom. Edinburgh itself is an important centre for the performing arts, particularly comedy, amateur and fringe theatre and numerous groups within the university are involved in this area. The Theatre Company was founded in 1896 and the Drama Society runs Bedlam Theatre, the oldest student run theatre in the UK. There is a weekly newspaper produced by students along with an independent publication and an alternative music radio station. In sports, there are 67 clubs ranging from rugby and football to judo and gliding.