2025 Digital Research Conference

1st Digital Research Conference at the University of Edinburgh

Programme HighlightsScheduleContact Details

Join us for the University of Edinburgh’s inaugural Digital Research Conference on 29th January 2025, held at the John McIntyre Conference Centre. This conference will bring together University of Edinburgh researchers and professional staff engaged in digital, data-intensive, and computational research to promote best practices, inspire collaboration, and stimulate discussions across various research fields.

Attendees will experience a diverse programme featuring keynote talks, interactive panels, hands-on workshops, and breakout sessions covering emerging trends, digital research skills, and innovative methodologies. The conference aims to encourage collaborations and foster best practices across schools, colleges, and professional services.

Digital Research Confernece logo showing a colourful wheel

Programme Highlights

  • Keynote Speakers: Dr Sarah Butcher, and a closing panel featuring Professor Shannon Vallor, Professor Michèle Weiland, and Professor Miguel O. Bernabeu
  • Breakout Sessions: Explore a wide range of topics including AI, sensitive research data, digital research infrastructure, and advancing digital research skills
  • Workshops and Roundtables: Gain practical insights into sustainable digital practices, social care data, and empowering non-coders
  • Networking Opportunities: Connect with peers and experts in the field.

Schedule

  • 8.30-9.20 - Registration and Coffee
  • 9:20-9:50: Conference opening & Welcome from the Provost
  • 10.00-11.15 - Breakout Sessions 1: 1A - 1B - 1C - 1D
  • 11.15-11.45 - Coffee Break
  • 11.45-13.00 - Breakout Sessions 2: 2A - 2B - 2C - 2D
  • 13.00-14.00 - Lunch
  • 14.00-14.30 - Afternoon Keynote by Sarah Butcher
  • 14.30-15:00 - Poster Exhibition
  • 15.00-16.15 - Breakout Sessions: 3A - 3B - 3C - 3D
  • 16.20-17.00 - Closing Keynote Panel: Shannon Vallor, Michèle Weiland, Miguel O. Bernabeu
  • 17:00: Networking Reception

Book of Abstracts

Session 1

• Are You Even Real? Rethinking Research Ethics in the Age of AI - Nicola Osborne
• The Role of Data Intermediation Service Providers in Developing AI Products or Services under the Data Governance Act - Tianqi Bi
• AI-Generated Films and Posthumanism: A Less Human-Centred Research Method in Posthuman Film Studies - Yufeng Li

• 'Publomics' - The Application of AI to Developing Useful, Compressed Intelligence - Malcolm Macleod
• Edinburgh's Contributions to the WLCG Global Computing Infrastructure - Robert Currie
• Rucio: Global Distributed Policy Driven Data Management - James Perry

• Led by Susan Shenkin
• An interactive workshop focusing on using individual-level social care data for research, discussing opportunities, barriers, and ethical considerations.

• Led by Alexander Corbishley
• Investigates how digital technology is used to manage pain, exploring ethical implications and oversight.

Session 2

• Harnessing Routine Hospital Event Data to Understand Early Unplanned Readmissions and Relationships with Multimorbidity Status - Konstantin Georgiev
• Single Machine Learning Classifier Pipeline to Detect Infantile Spasms in a Clinical Dataset - Bartlomiej Chybowski
• Beyond the Surface: Revealing Researchers' Behaviour in Public Repositories - Maira Juliana Rodriguez Cubillos

• 'Ethical and Methodological Considerations of Using X and Facebook for Research - Raul Gomez Hernandez
• Beyond Datasets in DMPs - Vashti Galpin
• 'I Want a Website'. Rethinking Online Presence: Balancing Immediate Needs and Long-Term Preservation - Sonia Virdi
• Green RSE - Kirsty Pringle

• Led by Lisa Otty
• Explores sustainable digital research practices and introduces the Digital Humanities Climate Coalition Toolkit.

• Led by Jonathan Corney
• Discusses how artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing, and robotics might change the factories of the future.

Session 3

• AI and L2 Learners’ Motivation - Mei-Hua Yang
• Systematic Online Living Evidence Summaries: A Computational Workflow for Evidence Synthesis - Emma Wilson
• AI Tools and Quality in Evidence Syntheses - Marshall Dozier

• Pushing Health Data Access Boundaries - Adapting NHS Governance for Clinical Free-Text and AI Development - Amy Tilbrook
• Prevalence and Outcomes of Recorded Dementia Vary by Data Source: A Population Cohort Study of 133,407 Older Adults Using Linked Primary Care, Hospital, and Community Prescribing Data - Rose Penfold
• Individual-Level Financial Transaction Data - Challenges and Opportunities - Oliver Berry

• Led by Stela McLachlan
• Learn about the UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration, its secure research environment, and its support for longitudinal studies, covering data security and ethical considerations.

• Led by Lucia Michielin
• Explore strategies for teaching coding to non-coders, discussing effective methods and overcoming challenges to integrate digital tools into research practices.

Contact Details