Dr. Darya Vanichkina1, Dr. Komathy Padmanabhan2, Dr. Anastasios Papaioannou5, Dr. Patrick Tung3, Dr. Peter Marendy4, Usha Nattala6, Dr. Nathaniel Butterworth1
1Sydney Informatics Hub, Core Research Facilities, University of Sydney, Darlington, Australia, 2Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Infrastructure), Monash University, Clayton, Australia, 3Research Technology Services, UNSW, Kensington, Australia, 4Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation, St Lucia, Australia, 5Intersect Australia, Sydney, 2000, 6Melbourne Data Analytics Platform, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
Biography:
Dr. Darya Vanichkina is the Data Science & AI Group Lead at the Sydney Informatics Hub (SIH). Darya leads a team that delivers data science and computation consultancy services and an extensive training program to boost the capability of research groups, accelerate projects, and foster partnerships. She holds a Bioinformatics PhD (UQ) and has lead projects as diverse as gambling harms, language analysis and patient outcomes in acute care. Darya is also a professional educator (GCert Teach (Sydney)), recognised with SFHEA accreditation for her work on SIH’s training program. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0406-164X
Dr. Nathaniel Butterworth is the Research Computing Group Lead at SIH. He is a computational geophysicist with extensive experience in delivering large and complex research informatics programs. Nathaniel holds a PhD in Geosciences (Sydney) and BSc (UOW) and Honours (Sydney) in Astrophysics.
Dr. Patrick Tung is an AI Imaging Scientist at UNSW ResTech where he collaborates and supports researchers on large-scale imaging projects on UNSW infrastructure. He has held postdoctoral positions at the Tyree Micro-Computed Tomography Lab and Institute of Physics, Prague exploring materials science problems. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2741-3177
Peter Marendy is Head of Data and Software Solutions at QCIF. Peter leads a team with expertise in workflows, specialised computing, data capture, management, and sensitive data to deliver results for research programs from Queensland universities, institutes, and commercial companies. Previously, Peter led the Microsystems research within CSIRO’s Cybernetics research Group. Peter holds a Bachelor of Computing (Hons) and a Graduate Certificate in Research. His area of research is focussed on using context information to allow search across heterogeneous datasets. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5499-9863
Dr. Anastasios Papaioannou has 15 years of experience in research and eResearch. He possesses an extensive research background and a deep technical understanding and expertise in research data, data science, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence. As Intersect’s Data Science Manager, Anastasios manages and oversees the services provided by Intersect’s Advanced Analytics & AI (3AI) Platform and the Data Science Team and works collaboratively with universities and government departments to develop and implement solutions to increase research productivity and advance their research. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8959-4559
Dr. Komathy Padmanabhan is the Director of Digital Research and Data Strategy at Monash University. In her role, she is responsible for establishing and delivering a comprehensive research data and eResearch strategy to enable the University to realise the full potential of its cutting-edge infrastructure and is responsible for expanding and improving capabilities which underpins the University’s research priorities. Komathy has led multiple national research and research infrastructure initiatives with specific focus on building and deploying sensitive data governance and management capabilities and machine learning environments.
Usha Nattala is a software developer and academic specialist focusing on machine learning, application development, geospatial analytics, data modelling and visualisation, she quite enjoys the process of bringing to life the ideas of the best and brightest minds of our generation. She is a Research Data Specialist at the Melbourne Data Analytics Platform and the Digital Solutions Architect at AirHealth, a joint UniMelb+UTas startup taking AirRater and Melbourne Pollen to the next level. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0360-6900
Abstract:
Harnessing cutting-edge AI, machine learning, and data-driven research often involves leveraging cloud computing platforms. This BoF session will feature a panel of speakers who will showcase how using the AI-related services provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) have led to research insights and discoveries at our institutions, after which the discussion will be opened to the floor.
This BoF will expose attendees to the benefits and challenges such use offers, including streamlined publication processes, extended computational resources, upskilling opportunities, as well as privacy, security, cost and reproducibility conundrums. The session will explore real-world case studies, showcasing how researchers across diverse disciplines have leveraged these technologies to accelerate their work, drive innovation, and contribute to the advancement of human knowledge.
The aim of this panel discussion is for attendees, including researchers, data scientists, software engineers, and professionals supporting research at academic, government, and not-for-profit organisations, to walk away with ideas and strategies for getting the most out of the smorgasbord that cloud providers offer.