A good read by @parkali.bsky.social. In today’s AI-driven world, data is the new currency. Great to see #ESRC investing not just in infrastructure, but also in services and training to empower researchers.
#UK #AI #DataInfrastructure #UKDS #ResearchSky #AcademicSky
A blog from me on why social science infrastructures matter. I talk about the value of social science data collections & data services (especially @ukdsimpact.bsky.social), current opportunities and challenges (including AI, the growth of TREs & training), & what we're doing about them at ESRC.
Absolutely delighted that ESRC and UKRI are funding this new study - and great to hear one of its leads, Pasco Fearon, discussing its value just now on BBCR4 Today. Also led by @clscohorts.bsky.social.
One for anyone with an interest in the research potential of administrative data! The 2025 @adr-uk.bsky.social conference will be in Cardiff on 17-18 September. Full details including keynote speakers & the ministerial address by Rt. Hon Mark Drakeford MS (Member of Senedd) in the thread below.
One for anyone with an interest in the research potential of administrative data! The 2025 @adr-uk.bsky.social conference will be in Cardiff on 17-18 September. Full details including keynote speakers & the ministerial address by Rt. Hon Mark Drakeford MS (Member of Senedd) in the thread below.
🌳 Nature remembers. 🌿
Happy to share our new paper showing that where species live today isn't just about where habitats are - it's also about what happened there before. 🕰️ rdcu.be/eiVZE @watts-km.bsky.social @stir.ac.uk @tfinch.bsky.social @forestresearchuk.bsky.social
Really looking forward to reading it Diane.
How to embed green industrial policy in a UK growth strategy buff.ly/47AOf9P My new piece for @IPPR volume with @asvalero @poid_lse @cep_lse
Such a great choice for the new head of Innovate UK! Tom is an inspiring leader and a tech hero.
www.gov.uk/government/n...
Worth interesting to the discussion - I am no expert at all so just going on what the interviewee said, his other point being that the data centre (brand new) had built in capacity to manage in case of an outage. Was c 7.15 today.
Astonishing fact on #bbcr4today earlier, discussing the Heathrow power failure. Heathrow requires 41MW; a new data centre nearby needs 150MW. Stark illustration of the underpinning energy consequences of data storage.
Yes!!! Not enough focus on the DATA. How many disciplines/sectors have accessible datasets, alone or even integrated, at sufficient scale and quality to successfully apply these emergent, data-driven technologies?
Great lecture by @hetanshah.bsky.social today on #AI. A key message: AI depends on data (quality, coverage, access, linkage) but not enough focus upon it; “data is the unsexy cousin of AI”. Vital we keep focused on AI AND data, and on ensuring the public have a voice within discussions about both.
Agree. It really illustrates the importance of not looking at poll findings in isolation. As the blog shows, none of the major respected time series surveys show comparable findings (either in terms of the magnitude of difference between generations or the trends over time).
So true! But I wonder how many people checked whether something had gone wrong with their streaming?! We did…
really happy the National Data Library submission I worked on with @dgen.net has been selected
We just published a paper on what the new NATIONAL DATA LIBRARY should look like.
It's very readable!
Lots on: accountability.. federated analytics.. code.. modular tools..
Thanks to @wellcometrust and @ESRC who ran a competition for these papers!
zenodo.org/records/1467...
ESRC recently collaborated with Wellcome on the UK National Data Library Technical White Paper Challenge.
Five submissions were successful and have now been published - do take a look:
wellcome.org/what-we-do/o...
Lovely article about me, my new book, and my home in today’s FT Weekend
on.ft.com/3PtDGxU
I really enjoyed this - very thought provoking. Your new home sounds beautiful.
Fair point - I was referring only to the clip.
In case you missed it - cohort studies got a mention on Call the Midwife last Sunday (specifically the 1970 Birth Cohort Study)! A bit cheesy I know, but good to see these essential data resources, & the unique insight they make possible, get the attention they deserve. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p...
New PhD position on my UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship project on political polarization: fully funded + ~20k tax free yearly stipend. Deadline: Feb 14th! Link to apply: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DLI246/p...
Arts and Humanities Research Council 25 years of excellence and impact against a colourful background
What would it look like to reimagine #arts and #humanities as a vital and creative force for change at the heart of #science?
For 25 years, the Arts and Humanities Research Council has supported the transformation of our understanding of ourselves through research...
It's ESRC's 60th birthday in 2025 - keep an eye out for how we are planning to celebrate! In the meantime, if you're interested in how our history connects to our current strategic thinking take a look at @stianwestlake.bsky.social's blog below.
“These models can see patterns humans cannot, but not all patterns they identify are meaningful or reliable” … AI not immune to the correlation and causation challenge.
Interesting @jburnmurdoch.bsky.social FT Data Points today - does the apparent rise in the UK’s illness-related activity say as much about incentives in the benefit system as the nation’s health? Good to see (ESRC funded!) Understanding Society - UKHLS - as a key data source.
Delighted the ECHILD team, funded by ADR UK, has been awarded the ONS Research Excellence Award 2024 in the category of Secure Data Creation.
ECHILD is a pioneering linked data resource that integrates administrative data across sectors from health & education. Find out more - www.echild.ac.uk
NEW: Why do we always think crime is rising, even when it isn’t?
This week I looked at one of the big data mysteries. Britain is 2/3 less violent than the 1990s; thefts were higher pre-lockdown
Why, then, doesn’t it feel like it?
1/8
@thetimes.com
🔗 www.thetimes.com/article/b63d...
Good article about many challenges in collecting accurate employment data - & importance of improving access to other sources (eg private sector & admin data). Good too to see some of the hidden challenges acknowledged - inc losing data savvy staff to tech firms.
londonherald.co.uk/fuzzy-job-nu...
