Research Fellow, Institute of Inflammation and Ageing
What is your Academic background and current research field?
I’m a Research Fellow working for Prof. Christopher Buckley and Dr. Andrew Filer in the field of stromal inflammation. After completing my undergraduate studies in Biological Sciences at Plymouth University I joined the group here in Birmingham, working for a year as a Research Technician before studying for a PhD in Immunity and Infection for the next four years followed by continuing on as a postdoctoral researcher. My current focus is on the analysis of bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing experiments of stromal populations from different sites of disease pathology across a range of diseases. I’m also beginning to work with methods to generate quantitative data from histological and ultrasound images.
Which BEAR Services have been most helpful to you in your research?
Definitely the Research Data Store (RDS) and BlueBEAR. All of our data from multiple projects are stored on the RDS and for the analysis of sequencing data, access to the Linux-based high performance computing cluster offered by BlueBEAR is essential. BEAR Datashare has also been useful for sharing files both internally and externally.
Note from Editor: BEAR DataShare is now retired - see this KB article for alternative options.
Read Jason's case study on how he has used BEAR services here: https://blog.bham.ac.uk/bear/2022/05/20/a-case-study-on-using-bear-services/
How widespread do you think BEAR Services are known in your School and how do you plan to spread the word?
People are aware of services such as the RDS and BlueBEAR but are sometimes not fully aware of what is on offer or how these services can benefit their research. I hope to offer a clear point of contact to ensure users are making the most of BEAR services and to bridge the gap between biological research and BEAR services.
How can researchers in your School/College contact you?
My desk is in Write up room 2, University Research Labs in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and I’m always happy to chat about how BEAR services could be of use. If it’s easier for some people the office number is 0121 371 3266 or I can be contacted by email at j.d.turner@bham.ac.uk
What's an interesting fact about you?
I once achieved a black belt (1st Dan) in Karate, although now I haven’t practiced for over 10 years.