Population Data Science Interns make an impact at successful showcase event 

Our annual Population Data Science Internship Programme came to a close on Thursday 22^nd of August 2024, with a showcase event held in the Data Science Building at Swansea University. 

Throughout the summer, a cohort of sixteen students have been working on a variety of research and development projects within our multidisciplinary teams across the Population Data Science group, gaining experience of using real-world data, systems and platforms, completing research and analysis, development and technical activities and generally enhancing their skills and experience of working in world-leading teams and organisation. This year’s cohort have produced a range of insightful and inspiring projects on cross-cutting themes and topics, from analysing youth homelessness susceptibility in Wales to using AI techniques for biomarker discovery of major depressive disorders. 

The showcase event, attended by the interns, their supervisors, academics, government policy advisors, some of our funders and members of the public, gave each intern the opportunity to deliver a presentation about the respective projects they have been working on and their experiences throughout their summer internships. 

Jackie Evans, a member of the SAIL Consumer Panel and Judging Panel said, 

“I was inspired by the day as a whole. I appreciated the diversity amongst presenters and presentations. 

Such a range of content presented with enthusiasm and professionalism. What was lovely to see was the empathy and care demonstrated by those who were dealing with particularly sensitive issues. 

Overall, I was struck by the quality of the work and the obvious respect that the interns had for their mentors.

Professor Ashley Akbari, Population Data Science Summer Internship Programme Director, said, 

“The event was a great success and showcased the exceptional interns who are part of our cohort this year, and their project presentations provided an overview of the work they have been delivering over the summer. Their inspirational presentations covered various multidisciplinary areas, including research, development, technical, and methodological themes. 

Our internship programme continues to go from strength to strength, with the feedback from our independent judging panel highlighting the high quality and potential impact of the projects completed by our interns, who had a really hard job on the day deciding on the winners of the awards. 

Looking ahead to next year, we have ambitious plans to further expand and enhance the programme, and we look forward to applications from those interested in developing their expertise and experiences within our globally renowned Population Data Science group.” 

This year’s internship programme was supported by ADR Wales (Administrative Data Research Wales), Secure Anonymised Information Linkage Databank (SAIL Databank), SeRP (Secure eResearch Platform), and Dementias Platform UK Data Portal (DPUK Data Portal) 

If you are interested in next year’s internship programme, then please look out for further information, which will be available in early 2025.