The University of Liverpool’s Computational Biology Facility (CBF) is pleased to announce the winners of its fifth International Women’s Day (IWD) Scholarship - Dr Sibel Cal Kayitmazbatir and Maryam Shahid.
Despite the growth in data science as a career, less than 25% of data science professionals are women. The scholarship is an annual award which aims to bridge the gap for women in data science and allows access to CBF's professional courses for five years alongside peer-to-peer support. This year two winners were selected in recognition of the number of high-quality applications.
Dr Sibel Cal Kayitmazbatir is a senior postdoctoral researcher based within the University’s Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences. She has a background in molecular biology and genetics and has undertaken postdoctoral research in the USA and UK.
Sibel said: “I am delighted to be awarded this scholarship. The opportunity has come at a pivotal time. I’m currently preparing fellowship applications and strengthening my coding and data analysis skills is essential for the next stage of my career.
“Through this scholarship, I look forward to using my development days to fully engage with CBF courses and gain the confidence to analyse my own preliminary datasets independently. I am excited to integrate computational approaches more deeply into my research and broaden the impact of my work.”
Maryam Shahid has a master's degree in microbiology from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. Her research has centred on multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and biofilm dynamics, a critical area in the global effort to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Having gained expertise in molecular biology, basic bioinformatics, and clinical microbiology, she is now at a pivotal pre-doctoral stage and actively preparing to pursue a PhD in AMR or microbial systems biology.
Maryam commented: “This scholarship represents an invaluable opportunity to deepen my computational skills, bridge the gap between wet-lab microbiology and data-driven research, and ultimately advance towards my long-term ambition of becoming an independent researcher who contributes innovative AMR solutions and mentors the next generation of scientists.
Dr Ewan Harney, CBF Data Scientist said: “This is the fifth year that the CBF has run the IWD Scholarship, and we were delighted to receive a huge number of amazing applications. This year we've again decided to award the scholarship to two outstanding candidates. We're looking forward to welcoming Maryam and Sibel to our courses, developing their data science skills, and helping them to realise their career aspirations!”