Data science

A recent intra-ULB survey has shown that researchers report a strong need for support and training around data processing. The field of Data Science is rapidly evolving, and PhDs do not always have easy access to the knowledge or expertise required to develop the skills that they need to publish state-of-the-art results today.

• More and more funding bodies require a Data Management Plan, but PhD students at ULB are not sufficiently acquainted with the concepts of Open Data, and may not even know that GDPR applies to their work.
• Some PhDs have no team members capable of  supporting them in learning common programming languages 
• Many PhDs are spread out in small labs where they are the only person doing the type of data analysis that they need
• PhDs report not having received sufficient theoretical and practical background knowledge to support their statistical analysis, and lose a lot of time on self-learning (and self-doubting)

As an answer to these issues, the P&PS recently launched its new initiative on data science. We create new resources (seminars, workshops, and roundtables) around the general topics of data analysis, visualisation, and collection, while sharing best practices in data management.

Who are we?

Morgane de Toeuf is the head of the Data Division at P&PS. She is a Bioengineer in agricultural sciences (M.Sc. Ir), currently at the end of her PhD in the Agroecology Lab (Faculty of Sciences).

Yves Bettignies is the president of the P&PS and an active member of the Data Division. He is a civil engineer (Ir) and is finishing his PhD at Ecole Polytechnique de Bruxelles.

Andrea Rozo is the community manager of the Data Division. She is a PostDoc at Ecole Polytechnique de Bruxelles.

Why do we exist?

At P&PS, we have 3 missions that guide the Data Division:

• We probe the Data Science needs of our community by surveying and gathering their requests.
• We propose new resources to offer support for those needs, either by gathering existing resources and increasing their availability,  developing new resources, or advocating  for new resources from ULB
• We help break down the isolation around data science by providing a place to ask questions and offering peer support.

What do we do?

Events and activities

Over the past year, we have developed the following activities:

• A Data Pipeline — from Data Gathering and Analysis to Publication and Beyond, with Prof. Simon Dellicour
• Workshop: Hands-on productive coding with R

To find a comprehensive list of our data-related activities, go to the Resources tab and filter by tag "Data"

Creating a peer-support network

In order to support our network on an ongoing basis, we have established the following networks:

• Weekly peer-support coding sessions (Every Monday afternoon at the P&PS House)
• A “first response” communication line (WhatsApp group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CmJgxImlWfzJ7o5xpgy4lH).

Mapping of data-related resources at ULB

Currently, we are mapping the existing resources around data and statistics at ULB, with the aim of making them more accessible to researchers. This will also help us in identifying gaps to address together with ULB’s own experts. In parallel, we are building a catalogue of resources (from ULB or external) that have already been user-validated.

Building a community of practice around data

We are glad to announce a new but ongoing partnership with the Brussel'R project. Together, we hope to support their existing peer support coding group and strengthen it by hosting additional weekly peer-coding sessions at the P&PS House.

How can you join?

At the moment, we are preparing seminars for next semester. Make sure to join on our mailing list to hear first when registrations open (go to "Join Us" in the status bar).

In the meantime, you can join our WhatsApp group (link below) for support with your specific data issues. Members of that group also get premium information on all our activities--your very own priority boarding ticket!

We are also looking for new team members! You can help by contributing your expertise in data, of course. But you can also contribute in other ways: organising events, writing content, moderating discussions, facilitating peer-coding sessions, or communicating with ULB admin. We are also in need of support in thinking through new ideas and making them a reality. No matter your expertise, if you want to contribute, make sure to contact us.

To reach our WhatsApp group:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/CmJgxImlWfzJ7o5xpgy4lH

or via the QR code: