Research Fellow in the Institute for Data and AI
What is your Academic background and current research field?
I am a Research Fellow in the Institute for Data and AI (IDAI) with a background in interdisciplinary computer science and AI, primarily in the context of computation and analysis of complex biological systems, human or otherwise. My focus now is on supporting various groups and projects around the University of Birmingham.
I began at UoB with a Masters of Research (2016) exploring tumour morphology and micro-environmental interaction with natural computation. My PhD (2016-2019) implemented computer vision and agent-based modelling in a framework to analyse systems (cancer cell motility and GPCR motion), identify and model behaviours and interactions.
I have post-doctoral experience working with small local groups (E.coli resistance 2019, Informatics support QEHB 2020) and large multi-site projects (Acute Myloid Lukemia 2021-2023, environmental toxicology 2023-2026) to support research. I have wide application experience from abstract pattern-oriented modelling of systems to more concrete data ingestion and analysis pipelines. I believe that understanding where data comes from is an important and powerful driver for interpretation and understanding, especially as problem complexity increases.
I have particular interest in AI; Machine learning, Vision, Modelling and Natural computation. Applied experience in Computational Biology; Cancer development, Cell signalling and Environmental toxicology.
Which BEAR Services have been most helpful to you in your research?
Apart from a brief stint during my MRes, I have been relying on BEAR Services for over a decade.
Research Data Store project spaces have been important for personal and group level storage, also collaboration with outside groups and organisation.
High Performance Computing resources both for computationally intractable problems (novel approaches and AI) and established high volume tasks (aligning thousands of samples). Neither would be possible otherwise.
BEAR portal for access to remote development, analysis and even training in the form of practical delivery.
I have also been an early guineapig for early developments of services such as VPN based proto-portal remote coding, web hosting and support from the Research Software Group (RSG).
How widespread do you think BEAR Services are known in your School and how do you plan to spread the word?
BEAR services and resources have been central to the research of all the groups I have worked with; awareness of needed services is good but perhaps not awareness of available services. I can broaden knowledge of what can be achieved with BEAR support.
My current role is also to support groups and projects across Schools; BEAR should feature heavily in advice given, as well as the RSG and other Advanced Research Computing groups.
How can researchers in your School/College contact you?
I can be contacted by e-mail s.r.e.benkwitz-bedford@bham.ac.uk or internal comms such as teams.