Find a Data Champion

Jonathan Birchall, PhD

Research Associate

Department of Radiology

Areas Of Expertise:

Git, Matlab, Data visualisation, Big data, Statistical analysis, Data collection, Data architecture, Version control, Experimental design, Data storage, Code sharing, Writing/publishing data papers, Surveys, Imaging, Textual data, Digital illustration

Contact Information

jb2455@cam.ac.uk

ORCiD:

0000-0003-3920-4038

Biography

I am currently a Research Associate in the Gallagher Group, where my goals are to develop novel screening techniques for cancer using pre-clinical hyperpolarised 13C-MRI, with an aim towards evaluation, documentation and eventual translation of these techniques into human imaging. This work is jointly funded by the University and The National Cancer Imaging Translational Accelerator (NCITA), where I am a member of the QA/QC Unit responsible for developing Standard Operating Procedures and performing data analysis on NCITA exemplar studies towards the creation of an MRI Core Lab.

I received my PhD from the University of Nottingham in 2017, researching experimental methods for improving 129Xe hyperpolarisation with an application to clinical functional lung imaging. I continued in a postdoctoral role for one year, performing QA/QC duties for the clinical Hyperpolarised Imaging Lung Facility (HILF), before moving to Wayne State University, Detroit, USA to take up a 2.5 year postdoctoral role developing pre-clinical hyperpolariser technologies for 13C, 15N and 129Xe.

I have always had a passion for statistics and communication, and as a Data Champion in the Department of Radiology, I hope that I can collaborate with my peers across a diverse range of projects, advocating for good record-keeping, analysis, dissemination and other facets of research data management.

Shujing Shi

PhD student

Areas Of Expertise:

R language, SQL, Data visualisation, Statistical analysis, Data collection, Sensitive data, Research data ethics, Surveys

Contact Information

ss2826@cam.ac.uk

My LinkedIn Profile

Biography

Shujing (Jing) is a PhD student at the Institute of Criminology. Her primary research interests encompass organised crime, drug market, crime data, and social network analysis. Additionally, she has a diverse range of interests that extend to evidence-based policing, decision-making process, and experimental criminology.

Ali Abbas, PhD

Senior Data Scientist, MRC Epidemiology Unit

Areas Of Expertise:

Python, R language, Git, SQL, C/C++/C# language, Java, Data visualisation, Big data, Data mining, Machine learning, Statistical analysis, Version control, Data sharing, Code sharing, Open data, FAIR Data, Writing/publishing data papers, Geospatial data

Contact Information

aa797@cam.ac.uk

Biography

Ali is Senior Data Scientist and public-health/transport modeller in the Public Health Modelling (PHM) group at the MRC-Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge. He is interested in active travel, specifically cycling research.

Coming from a Computer Science background, with a focus on modelling in his PhD, for over a decade, he has been doing data-driven research and development. This includes Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA), Statistical Modelling (or Machine Learning), Interactive Visualization, all with a focus on collaborative, transparent and reproducible research. In addition, he leads in project management and managing, training, guiding, and teaching of junior staff in his Unit. His work can be seen on GitHub at https://github.com/usr110.

Andrew Thwaites, PhD

Visiting Scientist

Department of Psychology

Areas Of Expertise:

Bioinformatics, Data sharing, Big data, Coding, Python, R language, SQL, Git, Matlab, Java, Data visualisation, Machine learning, Statistical analysis, Data Management Plans, Data policies, Data archiving, Code sharing, Open data, Imaging, Illustration, Website development

Contact Information

acgt2@cam.ac.uk

ORCiD:

0000-0002-6237-7140

Biography

Additional areas of expertise:

Neuroscience data

Can Jin, PhD

Researcher

Cambridge University Press & Assessment

Areas Of Expertise:

Data visualisation, Statistical analysis, Data collection, Copyright, Research data ethics, Data protection and research, REDCap, Workshop delivery, Other: Apollo (Cambridge University repository)

Contact Information

cj349@cam.ac.uk

My LinkedIn Profile

Biography

Can Jin completed her PhD in Education at the University of Cambridge and is currently a researcher at Cambridge University Press & Assessment. In this role, she supports good research practice, designs and manages research projects, conducts appropriate data analyses, and disseminates findings through reports, research papers, and presentations.

Christos Nikolaou

PhD Student

Areas Of Expertise:

R language, Data visualisation, Statistical analysis, Data Management Plans, Data collection, Database design, Data architecture, Data archiving, Writing/publishing data papers, Geospatial data

Contact Information

cn399@cam.ac.uk

ORCiD:

0009-0007-1638-9283

Biography

PhD Student in Archaeology, working with mapping distributions of religious artefacts in Hellenistic sites in Afghanistan and Pakistan

Dace Apšvalka

Research Associate

MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit

Areas Of Expertise:

Python, Data visualisation, Big data, Machine learning, Statistical analysis, Data collection, R language, Version control, Experimental design, Data storage, Git, Data sharing, Code sharing, Open data, FAIR Data, Writing/publishing data papers, SQL, Imaging, Video editing, Digital illustration, Matlab, Workshop delivery, Website development, Other programming languages

Contact Information

ORCiD:

Biography

I work in cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging, with a strong focus on research data management, reproducible analysis, and open science practices. Before training in cognitive neuroscience, I was educated in computer science and trained as a systems analyst, which continues to shape how I approach research data, workflows, and computational methods. In my current work, I focus on brain imaging data, including data organisation in BIDS (Brain Imaging Data Structure), preprocessing and analysis pipelines, and the development of practical training materials to support researchers in using modern computational tools and adopting good data practices.

Dequn Teng

PhD Candidate, Department of Engineering

Areas Of Expertise:

Python, SQL, Matlab, Machine learning, Statistical analysis, Data collection, Database design, Copyright, Data sharing, Code sharing, Open data, Imagin

Contact Information

dt517@cam.ac.uk

Website

My LinkedIn Profile

Biography

Dequn Teng (he/him) is a third-year Ph.D. candidate in Engineering at the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Manufacturing (IfM), Centre for Technology Management. His doctoral research examines human–algorithm interactions' effects on analytical creativity in algorithmic trading, funded by Cambridge Trust. His long-term research identity focuses on emerging algorithmic innovations' effects on strategic value creation, bridging insights from computer engineering, technology management, and organizational strategy. He also serves as a Research Assistant in the International Business and Strategy Group at the CJBS, where he contributes to research on regenerative innovations and strategies.

Prior to his Ph.D., Dequn completed an MPhil in Engineering (IfM, University of Cambridge) under Prof. Veronica Martinez, focusing on supply chain risk modeling with machine learning–enabled blockchain systems. He earned a first-class honors degree in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from the University of Liverpool (2+2 routine) and further enriched his expertise as a visiting student at Stanford University.

Beyond academia, Dequn has gained industry experience through roles at Deutsche Bank and Unilever, as well as through venture creation activities at the Entrepreneurship Centre at CJBS. He is also the Vice President of the Cambridge Algorithmic Trading Society (CUATS), fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in algorithmic trading research and practice.

As an educator, Dequn supervise industrial engineering, strategic management, and marketing, and leads coding and analytics sessions—including Brainteaser and LeetCode sessions—within the CUATS, cultivating interactive learning experiences at the intersection of technology, strategy, and innovation.

Publications

Hugo P. Bastos, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Haematology/Cambridge Stem Cell Institute

Areas Of Expertise:

Python, R language, SQL, Data visualisation, Machine learning, Statistical analysis, Database design, Data storage, Bioinformatics

Contact Information

hpb29@cam.ac.uk

ORCiD:

0000-0002-8072-4070

Biography

I provide Bioinformatic support for a few research groups in the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute. For the most part I deal with the analysis of single cell sequencing data, storage management of such data and the deployment of data processing pipelines into HPC environments.

Hugo Tavares, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Department of Genetics

Bioinformatics Training Facility

Areas Of Expertise:

Bioinformatics, Coding, Python, R language, Git, Data analysis, Data visualisation, Big data, Data mining, Machine learning, Statistical analysis, Data collection, Experimental design, Data storage, Institutional repositories, Discipline-specific repositories, Data sharing, Code sharing, Open data, Workshop delivery

Contact Information

hm533@cam.ac.uk

Biography

Additional areas of expertise:

Plant science, Quantitative genetics.

Jonathan Birchall, PhD

Contact Information

Biography

Shujing Shi

Contact Information

Biography

Ali Abbas, PhD

Contact Information

Biography

Andrew Thwaites, PhD

Contact Information

Biography

Can Jin, PhD

Contact Information

Biography

Christos Nikolaou

Contact Information

Biography

Dace Apšvalka

Contact Information

Biography

Dequn Teng

Contact Information

Biography

Hugo P. Bastos, PhD

Contact Information

Biography

Hugo Tavares, PhD

Contact Information

Biography

Filter by area of expertise

Filter by research communities:

About this site

At a glance

Contact the Research Data Management team

Address

Study at Cambridge

About the University

Research at Cambridge