“Big data” and “data science” are terms we hear more and more these days. The idea that we can use these vast amounts of information to understand and analyse phenomena, and find solutions to problems, is gaining prominence, both in business and academia. Cathie Sudlow, Professor of Neurology and Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, has been at the forefront of enabling health-related research using ever-increasing datasets. She tells presenter Jim Al-Khalili why this type of research matters, how the COVID-19 pandemic changed attitudes towards data in healthcare, and why the NHS gives the UK a big advantage when it comes to population-wide studies. Over the course of her career, Cathie has held a variety of roles at different organisations, and she is currently Chief Scientist and Deputy Director at Health Data Research UK. She believes that there is no room for prima donnas in science, and wants her field to be open and collaborative, to have the most impact on patients’ lives. Produced by Florian Bohr.
Why study sewage?
The sounds of coral reefs
Can computers discover new medicines?
Emily Holmes on how to treat trauma
Judith Bunbury on the shifting River Nile in the time of the Pharaohs
Frances Arnold: From taxi driver to Nobel Prize
Sir Martin Landray on saving over a million lives
Vlatko Vedral on the universe as quantum information
Adam Hart on ants, bees and insect burgers
Jacinta Tan on anorexia nervosa and the mind
Pete Smith on why soil matters
Chi Onwurah on why engineering is a caring profession.
Ailie MacAdam on the biggest construction project in Europe
Ben Garrod on conservation and extinction
Steve Brusatte on the fall of dinosaurs and the rise of mammals
Shankar Balasubramanian on decoding DNA
Julia Shaw on memories that aren't true
Sharon Peacock on hunting pandemic variants of concern
Tim Clutton-Brock on meerkats, red deer and evolution
Tim Spector and personalised diets for long term health
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
Global News Podcast
Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
The Infinite Monkey Cage
You’re Dead to Me
Elis James and John Robins