The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has announced that it will fund a
research fellow in Data Science and Food at UCL. The fellowship is the
first significant investment in data science across any governmental
body. The partnership initiates big data collaborations, highlighting
the potential for big data analytics to reveal important insights that
have societal benefits. Through this opportunity the FSA will also be
part of a larger UCL research initiative through its Big Data Institute
(UCL BDI).
Food will be at the heart of the collaborative project
between the university and the agency as the fellowship will focus on
developing new analytics methods for tracking and characterising
foodborne illnesses.
Professor Guy Poppy, Chief Scientific Adviser at the FSA,
commented, “data science is very exciting and has the potential to
transform what the FSA does and how we can ensure the industry delivers
‘food we can trust’ to all UK consumers.
“Working with UCL’s Big Data Institute, we really are
putting consumers first in all that we do, to ensure food is safe and
what it says it is. We all eat at least a few times every day, so food
is a topic well-suited to testing the effectiveness of data science
approaches. It is an important collaboration for all parts of the FSA
business.”
Primarily funded by the FSA and based in the UCL Department
of Statistical Science, the post is part of a joint Statistical Science
and UCL BDI effort which aims to develop the statistical foundations of
big data analysis. The fellowship follows on from the FSA 2015-20
Strategy, which highlights the agency’s desire to become a data-driven
organisation.
Professor Sofia Olhede, Scientific Director of UCL BDI,
said, “this is a very exciting venture on the cutting-edge of big data
analysis techniques. Together, we can make a huge impact in studying the
complex patterns associated with the spread of foodborne illness, with
an eye to early detection and prevention of disease. This is especially
important for safeguarding our ageing population.”
The UCL BDI tackles the challenges faced by researchers as
they seek to forecast trends, and synthesise information from large
unstructured data sets. Together with the Institute, the FSA wants to
enhance its use of evidence and information to both tackle the
challenges of today, and to identify and contribute to addressing
emerging risks for the future.
To view further details and to apply for the fellowship, please see the advertisement on the UCL HR Website.
Any candidates unable to apply online should contact Dr Russell Evans,
email: russell.evans@ucl.ac.uk, tel: +44 (0)20 7679 8311. Informal
inquiries should be addressed to Professor Sofia Olhede
s.olhede@ucl.ac.uk or to Professor Patrick Wolfe p.wolfe@ucl.ac.uk.
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