Rafael Kollyfas

Currently, I am pursuing an MPhil at the University of Cambridge in Population Health Sciences, specializing in Health Data Science. My educational background also includes a BSc in Computer Science from Newcastle University and an MSc in Artificial Intelligence from the University of St Andrews. 

My primary research interest lies in the application of machine learning in healthcare, particularly in omics. During my dissertation at St Andrews, under the guidance of Dr Ognjen Arandjelović, I utilized machine learning techniques to identify biomarkers that could predict sensitivity or resistance to a new anti-cancer drug by analysing multi-omics data, including gene expression, proteomics, gene effects, and alternative polyadenylation datasets. My project also involved clustering cancer cell lines based on their alternative polyadenylation usage, identifying alternative druggable targets for genes that are not conventionally druggable, and performing correlation analyses when the drug was combined with other drugs. 

I am honoured to be joining the Core Bioinformatics group where I will be further exploring the application of machine learning on alternative polyadenylation datasets. I hope that this opportunity will allow me to further enhance my skills while also providing me with a chance to collaborate with exceptional researchers in a supportive environment.