Meet the Ask-JGI team – Adrianna, Fahd, Yujie & Huw

I’m a PhD student at the University of Bristol Business School. My project focuses on social media influencers and their vegan content on YouTube. Using language derived from video transcripts, I analyse to what extent they legitimise veganism so that it becomes popular and desirable in society. Whilst most organisation and management scholars have developed theories based on qualitative data, resulting in small datasets and case study approaches, in my work, I highlight the role of computational social sciences and big data in helping social scientists answer their research questions.

Coming from a social science background, I was initially hesitant about joining the Ask-JGI team. However, this decision has turned out to be the most rewarding and challenging experience. Being part of the team is a continuous learning journey. The questions we receive span various disciplines, often pushing us out of our comfort zones. The most exciting part of the job is the opportunity to communicate with other researchers and receive their positive feedback. On the other hand, we constantly collaborate with other team members and learn from each other, which makes it a very supportive environment. I’m pleased to see more queries from social scientists and humanities researchers. The growing popularity of computational approaches and the shift towards interdisciplinary research is a trend that I find inspiring and exciting

I am a PhD student in the Interactive Artificial Intelligence CDT, specializing in model understanding for Vision-Language models. My research focuses on introducing improvements to Vision-Language models that allow for better linking of specific ideas or attributes to physical items, in order to help models recognize and understand the properties of objects in images.

I first heard of the Ask-JGI team through fellow PhD students, and it was recommended to me as a way to apply data science skills to real-world applications. Joining the Ask-JGI helpdesk has been a unique experience where I’ve been able to delve into various domains and learn about topics that I would otherwise not have had the chance to learn about. The team truly values cross-functional collaboration and encourages tackling new challenges and learning on the job.

Working at Ask JGI is incredibly rewarding. I enjoy the diversity of challenges presented by each query which gives me the chance to improve as a data scientist and gain a better understanding of how data science can help improve academic research. I really enjoy the collaborative spirit within the team. The Ask-JGI team are from many different disciplines and interacting with them allows for interesting exchanges of ideas and problem-solving approaches. This allows me to grow not just as a data scientist but as a researcher as well.

Yujie Dai (she/her) – Ask-JGI PhD Student

I am a PhD student in the Digital Health and Care CDT, specializing in population health data science. My research focuses on leveraging large-scale real-world health data to address critical challenges in infectious diseases. Specifically, I utilize explainable AI (XAI) techniques to characterize and diagnose diseases, aiming to bridge the gap between data science and public health.

 My journey with Ask-JGI began with a recommendation from a friend who was previously part of the team. They spoke highly of the collaborative and dynamic environment, and I was intrigued by the opportunity to apply my skills in real-world research settings. Joining Ask-JGI is an extension of my academic and research pursuits. I was drawn to the idea of supporting researchers across diverse disciplines, helping them navigate technical challenges in their projects, and learning from their different perspectives. The chance to engage with cutting-edge problems and contribute to solutions beyond the scope of my own research was exciting.

There’s so much to love about being part of Ask JGI. I love the variety of work. Each question I encounter presents a new challenge, whether it’s developing a data analysis pipeline, troubleshooting code, or brainstorming creative solutions for a computational problem. The variety keeps me constantly learning and growing as a data scientist. I also love the collaborative atmosphere. Working closely with researchers from different fields gives me diverse ways of thinking and problem-solving. It’s an opportunity to not only apply my skills but also to know more about the scientific community.

Huw Day (he/him) – Ask-JGI Lead