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Could
you describe in few words your professional cursus
?
After completing my Engineering degree in electronics,
biomedical engineering specialisation, I took
a M.Sc. degree course in science policy and management
and had work experience in the private sector:
Electronic instrumentation in the petrochemical
industry, and robotics in a museum of natural
sciences in Venezuela. After completing my PhD
in biomedical informatics, I became an Assistant
Professor in computer science, followed by an
Associate Professorship, in Ireland and the UK
respectively. To date the main topic of my research
has been the development of advanced computing
applications in biology and medicine. I landed
here 7 months ago to focus on research work in
the area of cardiovascular diseases in close cooperation
with clinical researchers.
What are your main missions
and the projects you are working on ?
A major goal is to make sense of data derived
from the human genome for medical applications.
This is also related to the business of “predicting”
the future of patients. For example, we aim to
develop computing methods to help doctors to have
a better idea about the future of a patient after
suffering a heart attack, based on the past and
the present conditions of the patient. This is
important to assist the doctors in selecting the
most appropriate treatment or course of action.
I use the language and tools of statistics and
informatics to make data meaningful for predictive
purposes.
What are the main skills to do that work?
In general, the main skills needed to have any
chance of survival in this area would be good
mathematical and analytical skills. But it is
essential to have a good understanding of fundamental
biological and medical concepts. Communication
skills, both written and oral, are as important
as the ability to work in collaborative settings
or having good computing skills.
In your opinion, how
is this field going to evolve in the next decade
in luxembourg ?
I do not have a clear picture yet of how it will
evolve in Luxembourg in the next 10 years. I just
hope that it will evolve in the direction of progress,
toward greater national and international recognition,
toward more participation and cooperation. But
this will significantly depend on the capacity
of Luxembourg’s institutions to form and
educate a local force of human resources, as well
as their capacity to attract, and retain, international
students and researchers. I also hope that it
will evolve as part of a scientific and political
culture that aims to maximise opportunities without
compromising quality and merit-based standards.
Finally, I hope that in the near future its infrastructure
for supporting research, for example: libraries,
technical support, hard technology resources,
space and training, will significantly improve.
Which advices would you
like to give to young people who would like to
work in that field ?
Biocomputing, bioinformatics and related areas
combine key attributes from the natural sciences
and engineering. That is, this area not only needs
people who have a capacity to solve problems,
but also the ability to understand fundamental
questions and synthesise complex phenomena. A
typical successful professional in this area combines
the best of both worlds, with a major passion
for discovering and connecting ideas. Independently
of specific roles, this represents something that
in the long term may positively impact the health
and economy of a nation, and even the whole world.
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