Advanced Image Analysis Specialist, Institute of Translational Medicine
What is your research background and current field of research?
I have quite a varied research background. My PhD was in clinical microbiology, investigating a genus of pathogenic algae (Prototheca) which are able to infect mammals, including cattle and occasionally humans. This was followed by a brief postdoc, using super-resolution microscopy to localise individual proteins on the surface of cells. I am now in a technical role providing bioinformatic and image analyses to researchers at the Birmingham Tissue Analytics facility. Our focus at BTA is spatial biology – detecting proteins and transcripts in tissue to solve biological and medical questions.
Which BEAR Services have been most helpful to you in your research?
No matter the field of research, I have always made heavy use of the Research Data Storage (RDS) service to store files and access them across multiple computers. Depending on the project, I have also made use of the BlueBEAR high-performance-computing resources, which have allowed me to analyse more data than any personal computer could have handled. Finally, I’m an instructor with the BEAR training courses, running and helping the R programming workshops, where I have learned many tips and tricks whilst teaching the language.
How widespread do you think BEAR Services are known in your School and how do you plan to spread the word?
Some services, like the Research Data Storage, are probably quite well known. Others, like the Bear Training resources and Research Software Group, are relatively unknown. As part of my role, I liaise with many researchers that use our services, giving me a real insight into their needs and capabilities. With my own familiarity of BEAR services, I am able to provide targeted recommendations to our users.
How can researchers in your School/College contact you?
I am most easily reachable by email at c.shave@bham.ac.uk. I am also occasionally on LinkedIn, or physically in the East Corridor on the Fifth Floor of the Institute of Translational Medicine.
What's an interesting fact about you?
I am a keen, though uncommitted martial artist, and have trained in five different martial arts (taekwondo, judo, krav maga, kuk sool won, Japanese jiu jitsu) at various times in my life. The longest art I stuck to was taekwondo for five years, though I wasn’t quite able to get my black belt.