Edinburgh Data Science + AI February Meetup

Join us for an evening of talks and networking for the Edinburgh Data Science + AI community, by the community.

Our first meetup of 2025 takes place on Tuesday 4th February, from 5.30pm. We will be kindly hosted by our friends at CodeBase.

Food and drink at this is event is sponsored by Neuron.
Neuron's mission is to help businesses transition from finite human labour to infinite agentic systems.

Our talks this evening cover generative AI for images, the role of the data analyst and a data scientists' approach to coffee making!

Schedule:
5.30pm - 6.30pm - Networking with pizza and drinks
6.30pm - 7:45pm - Talks with Q&A
8pm onwards - Continued networking

Due to the popularity of previous events we can only admit those who have RSVP'ed on meetup.com or eventbrite.

CodeBase is an accessible venue, if you have any questions about accessibility please get in touch.

If you have a shoutout / you are hiring please let us know!

Talks:
Title: There’s no such thing as a data analyst
Speaker: Matt Thornton - Senior Data Analyst, Trustpilot & PhD Quantum Physics
Abstract: The cookie-cutter data analyst is LinkedIn-fuelled fantasy.
In this talk I'll show why adaptability and rapid learning truly drive business impact. Not overhyped tools or the latest “best practices”. Drawing on my Data Science experience at a leading EdTech product, I'll show how a generalist mindset and simple solutions doubled sales and cut churn in half: no ML models required.

Title: 3D Generative AI for photorealistic images
Speaker: James Robson - Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Omi & PhD Bioinformatics
Abstract: Illuminating how we can use AI to generate fully Physically Based Rendering (PBR) texture maps—including metalness, reflectivity, and normals—and High Dynamic Range Image (HDRI) environmental lighting to create stunningly realistic surfaces and scenes.

And our first ever short talk: "A Data Scientist smells the coffee" from our very own Mehrab Modi, AI Engineer & PhD Neuroscience.