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John McDermid

Professor of Software Engineering, University of York
John McDermid became Professor of Software Engineering at the University of York in 1987. His research covers a broad range of issues in systems, software and safety engineering. He became Director of the Lloyd’s Register Foundation funded Assuring Autonomy International Programme in January 2018, focusing on safety of robotics and autonomous systems.

He acts as an advisor to government and industry, including FiveAI, the UK MoD and Rolls-Royce. He has been actively involved in standards development, including work on safety and software standards for civilian and defence applications. He is author or editor of six books and has published about 400 papers. He is a Visiting Professor at Beijing Jiaotong University. He became a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2002 and was awarded an OBE in 2010.

Autonomous cars: five reasons they still aren't on our roads

Aug 01, 2020 14:54 pm UTC| Technology

Elon Musk thinks his company Tesla will have fully autonomous cars ready by the end of 2020. There are no fundamental challenges remaining, he said recently. There are many small problems. And then theres the challenge of...

Five things to consider before speed limiters are added to cars

Apr 01, 2019 17:18 pm UTC| Insights & Views Business

The recent announcement that EU rules for fitting speed limiters to new cars from 2022 will be adopted by the UK was welcomed by many, including the European Transport Safety Council, as a move that will save lives....

Self-driving cars: why we can't expect them to be 'moral'

Jan 27, 2019 14:44 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Ever since companies began developing self-driving cars, people have asked how designers will address the moral question of who a self-driving car should kill if a fatal crash is unavoidable. Recent research suggests this...

Economy

New Zealand Business Confidence Hits 30-Year High as Economic Outlook Improves

New Zealands business confidence surged sharply in December, reaching its highest level in three decades, according to the latest ANZ Bank Business Outlook survey released on Friday. The data highlights growing optimism...

BOJ Poised for Historic Rate Hike as Japan Signals Shift Toward Monetary Normalization

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is widely expected to raise interest rates to a three-decade high, marking another milestone in its gradual exit from ultra-loose monetary policy. At the conclusion of its two-day meeting on Friday,...

Austan Goolsbee Signals Potential for More Fed Rate Cuts as Inflation Shows Improvement

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said Thursday that recent inflation data has been encouraging, raising the possibility of additional interest rate cuts next year if current trends continue....

Japan Inflation Holds Firm in November as BOJ Nears Key Rate Hike Decision

Japans consumer price inflation remained largely steady in November, reinforcing expectations that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) will proceed with a long-anticipated interest rate hike as it seeks to control persistent price...

U.S. Stock Futures Slip After CPI-Fueled Rally as Markets Weigh Economic Uncertainty

U.S. stock index futures edged lower on Thursday evening, cooling after a strong rebound on Wall Street driven by softer-than-expected November inflation data. The pullback reflected lingering caution among investors, as...

Politics

Trump Signs Order to Ease Federal Marijuana Rules, Signaling Major Policy Shift

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing federal agencies to loosen regulations on marijuana, a move that could mark one of the most significant changes in U.S. cannabis policy in decades. The...

Fernando Haddad Confirms He Will Not Run for Office in 2025, Signals Possible Exit as Brazil’s Finance Minister

Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad confirmed on Thursday that he will not run for public office next year, putting an end to months of speculation surrounding his political future. Speaking at a press conference,...

Trump Administration Proposes Sweeping Limits on Gender-Affirming Care for Children

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has moved to significantly restrict childrens access to gender-affirming care, marking one of the most far-reaching actions yet by the Trump administration...

Trump Expands U.S. Travel Ban to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Sparking Economic Fears in the Caribbean

Washingtons decision to expand U.S. travel restrictions to include Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica is raising serious concerns across the Caribbean, where access to the United States plays a vital role in tourism,...

Barham Salih Elected as Next UN High Commissioner for Refugees

The United Nations General Assembly has elected Barham Salih, former president of Iraq and a longtime advocate for democracy and human rights, as the next United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The decision was...

Science

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Technology

Oracle Stock Surges After Hours on TikTok Deal Optimism and OpenAI Fundraising Buzz

Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) shares surged sharply in extended trading on Thursday, reflecting renewed investor optimism fueled by reports of a potential U.S. TikTok transaction and fresh fundraising discussions...

Apple Opens iPhone to Alternative App Stores in Japan Under New Competition Law

Apple has announced a major shift in its App Store policies in Japan, opening iPhones and other Apple devices to alternative app stores in order to comply with new competition laws aimed at reshaping the countrys...

Micron Technology Forecasts Surge in Revenue and Earnings on AI-Driven Memory Demand

Micron Technology delivered record first-quarter results and issued a bullish forecast for the current quarter, driven by rising memory prices and strong demand linked to artificial intelligence workloads. The upbeat...

Oracle Stock Slides After Blue Owl Exit Report, Company Says Michigan Data Center Talks Remain on Track

Oracle shares fell more than 4% on Wednesday after a Financial Times report claimed that Blue Owl Capital, Oracles largest U.S. data center partner, decided not to support a planned $10 billion data center project in...

OpenAI Explores Massive Funding Round at $750 Billion Valuation

OpenAI, the company behind the widely used AI chatbot ChatGPT, has reportedly entered preliminary discussions with investors about a potential new funding round that could value the company at approximately $750 billion....