Alexandrina Pancheva

I am an interdisciplinary PhD student at the University of Glasgow, currently in my final year. I completed my M.Sci in Software Engineering at the University of Glasgow. My research focuses on developing computational methods for complex datasets, specifically in the field of single cell transcriptomics. In recent years the single cell approach has been gaining popularity because it allows researchers to identify novel cell types and understand disease progression, which can lead to the development of novel therapeutics. However, the analysis of such datasets requires development of new tools that can handle their underlying complexities. This is where my work fits in.

I love sharing my passion for programming, not only with students but also with researchers from other disciplines. When I am not working on my project, I can be found teaching or organising interdisciplinary workshops bringing together biologists, statisticians, and computing scientists.

I joined PWSA for the first time in 2019 when we went to Kigali, Rwanda. Over the course of two weeks, I had the great pleasure of sharing my knowledge of Python programming with our amazing workshop participants, who put a lot of effort in their learning despite work and family commitments. It was inspiring to see how much progress was made every day. I will never forget the enthusiasm, passion for learning, and the numerous light bulb moments as we were debugging code with students! I am truly lucky to be part of this amazing initiative.