Dr Mark Basham

Dr Mark Basham is Head of AI at the Rosalind Franklin Institute, and a Research Fellow at Diamond Light Source.

Mark was awarded his Physics PhD in surface science simulation from the University of Reading, he then moved to data acquisition and analysis of synchrotron data after working with experimental colleagues in the field.

Mark’s primary research contributions have focused on the removal of barriers between image processing techniques in different scientific domains, and the open development of these techniques. He is a strong advocate of open source software tools that focus on the similarities between different fields rather than their differences, and in so doing, bring advances to all.

A key aspect of these collaborative projects is their inclusive nature, bringing key stakeholders to the table. For example, in the development of SuRVoS workbench, Mark gathered together a group of biochemists, cell biologists, beamline physicists, and computer vision programmers to identify the needs in segmentation of biological images and work towards the development of a software program that addressed these needs.

Mark has a real passion for public engagement, he is the creator of the Lego Beamline  (#legobeamline) which helps to explain how synchrotron experiments are performed, and promotes STEM with local schools and as well as many other engagement projects.

Currently Mark works closely with his colleagues around the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory campus and university collaborators on enhancing the variety of software projects critical to making the most of the revolutionary experimental setups which will be available at the Rosalind Franklin Institute.