BioInformatics

GOOD FRIENDS! - Please follow us on our Luma calendar here: [https://luma.com/the-friendly-data-meetup](https://luma.com/the-friendly-data-meetup) We're considering other platforms due to meetup's costly fees (donations and volunteers welcome). So do follow us on Luma to keep up to date on our events! \-\-\-\-\-\- Hi new friends and old! We're baaack! As a smaller group, we make meaningful connections with like-minded data professionals. Lifelong friendships are forged along the way! Whether you're new in town, want to expand your social circle, get into the data and AI space, or see a friend you know, this is the place to be! No guest speakers nor rigid agenda, just a casual meetup and lots of fun conversation! 🥳 See you soon! NOTE: Please remember to bring your ID with you, as all guests must be of legal age to enter the venue. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **🤝 Code of Conduct:** The Friendly Data Meetup welcomes all genders, nationalities, ethnicities, backgrounds, identities etc. There is a strict no discrimination policy in adherence to our code of conduct and our guiding principles. We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for hateful or antisocial behaviour. In short, be kind to others. Do not insult or put down others. Behave professionally, don't make others feel uncomfortable. Remember that harassment and sexist, racist, or exclusionary jokes are not appropriate for The Friendly Data Meetup. **🌱 Donations, Volunteers and Patrons Welcome:** The Friendly Data Meetup is completely volunteer run and not for profit. Donations and ideas are very welcome to fund some more exciting activities as summer is coming up! Buy us a coffee or come and chat with us. Support us: https://bit.ly/support-friendly-data-meetup \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **About Us** 🤗 Welcome data professionals and friends! Sometimes, it can be difficult to make friends within the field, and that's what we're all about! We're a group of like minded individuals who understand the highs and lows of working in data and tech. ✅ Our primary goal is to have **higher quality conversations** that are more meaningful, with smaller groups so that we get to spend more attention on each individual. 💯 If you're already reading this, you're definitely welcome! **We welcome everyone**, whether you're already in the data field, looking to get started or just curious! 🗨️ **Bring your friends**, bring your plus ones, we're all just here to have a good laugh and a good chat about the world, even if it isn't always about our work. **Our values:** 📖 **Openness** \- We welcome everyone 🤝 **Trust** \- Build long\-lasting friendships together 💝 **Care** \- Be kind to others and help each other out **Who it's for** \- Data Scientists \- Data Engineers \- Data Analysts \- AI Engineers \- ML Engineers \- Software Engineers \- Data Product Managers \- Financial and Quantitative Modellers \- Entrepreneurs\, Contractors \- Anyone who works with Data \- Anyone looking to get into the space \- Friends **How to Make the Most of the Meetup** The Friendly Data Meetup has one simple purpose - meaningful connections. We're not just a community of people, **we're friends** who get invested in each others lives. We check in on our friends regularly, and personally. So come and join us, **more than just once or twice!**

Hi there, fellow social media creators, influencers, brands and all people interested in London. Welcome to our meetup! We at Social Rising organize regular events for you to connect, learn and grow, not only here but all over the world! We invite you to meet and engage in conversations with like-minded people both locally and in our worldwide community! **First things first!:** * The best way to stay informed about our events is to join our newsletter at socialrising.com/join * If you're a creator with a significant audience, you will benefit the most from this newsletter at socialrising.com/join .You will be invited to public and exclusive events, and we will reach out to you with partner and job opportunities. * If you want to help us creating our events: We're looking for 1-2 volunteers per event! Let us know if you're interested through this form: https://socialrising.com/volunteer - we'll then reach out if we need you. **Lightning talk** [Federico Sbandi ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/federicosbandi/)is the CEO of Digital Combat Agency wehre he consults on LinkedIn strategy, while also a TikTok creator with over 77k followers. In his talk, he'll share practical LinkedIn growth strategies and how creators can turn their online visibility into real business opportunities and partnerships. **What do participants & speakers think?** "Matteo's meetups are incredible. Every time I come, I meet people who genuinely change my life. He somehow manages to get everyone involved, and the overall vibe is so nice. Can't wait for the next one!" - Dom (tech_wizzdom) "Matteo, thanks for the event yesterday. Its much better than other social media events that I have attended. Good work! So thanks!" Joe (via a Google Review) "What a fantastic group of people! If you are looking to connect with top-shelf digital communicators, Social Rising's meetups are perfect for that."- Oliver Aust - Founder, Investor, Bestselling Author, Podcast Host. "Matteo put on a killer event. Normally events are full of trivial, uncomfortable conversations, but I love Social Rising events, cool people and discussion points, and great locations", Digital Nomad Lifestyle. **Our story** In 2019 we started organizing meetups for creators & influencer in Berlin, and we became big fans of the people we brought together and the topics that were discussed. So we expanded to London early 2020, and as the pandemic started, we became a home for creators worldwide. Now, in 2026, we do our events in multiple cities and countries and are expanding to more and more countries. Wherever we are, influencers & creators connect, learn, and grow. Sometimes creators join us and share insights in lightning talks, and each time we all go home with new, interesting connections! **Virtual events** We have regular virtual meetups. Join your local [meetup](https://socialrising.com/meetup-groups) group or follow our [Eventbrite](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/social-rising-virtual-34048034485) organizer dedicated to virtual events. **What is this meetup for?** * Get to know new people in the social media space * Share experiences with like-minded people * Listen to inspiring lightning talks * Brainstorm and share ideas with fellow creators * Motivating each other * Finding opportunities to work together * Discuss how to approach and reach chosen target groups * Sometimes we have a product/brand presenting how they can support you * ... and of course: have a good time and grab a drink together! **Your host** Matteo Savio, CEO of [Social Rising](https://socialrising.com/) & [Digital Ideas](https://digitalideas.io/), hosts the event. As a digital marketer, he is consulting in B2B marketing & sales, and started Social Rising in 2019 as became fascinated by the topics and amazing people that showed up. He's enthusiastic ever since! Connect with him beforehand on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/matteosavio/)! **What next?** * Do you have experiences in growing and/or monetizing on Social Media? We'd love you to apply for a lightning talk: socialrising.com/lightning-talk * Are you interested in helping us creating our events? Help out as a volunteer: socialrising.com/volunteer * Follow us on Instagram and check out event images from past events: instagram.com/socialrisingevents * Especially as a brand or product you might be interested in following us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/socialrisingevents * Does your product bring value to creators? Apply for a product presentation: socialrising.com/product-presentation * Join the meetup group closest to you here: https://socialrising.com/meetup-groups See you at the event! Your Social Rising Team

Agent memory is a mess. Most teams are stitching together a vector store, a graph database, and some middleware - three systems to manage, three potential failure points, and no guarantees that any of it stays consistent. It works until it doesn't. In this meetup, we're looking at what it actually takes to solve this properly. Not a quick fix, not another abstraction layer - memory that's transactional, structured, and built into the database itself. We'll look show what that looks like in practice with Spectron, SurrealDB's brand new agent memory system. We'll also walk through a full-stack knowledge graph RAG system - end-to-end, real code, real trade-offs - plus a guest talk from LangChain. Hard questions welcome. Drinks & pizza on us. *** **Talks** Tobie Morgan Hitchcock (CEO, SurrealDB) **Spectron: What agent memory looks like when it's built into the database** Martin (Solutions Engineer, SurrealDB) **Full-stack knowledge graph RAG with agentic memory** Igor Repka (Solutions Architect, LangChain) **Details coming soon!** *** **Agenda** * 18:00 - Doors + drinks + pizza * 18:30 - Welcome * 18:35 - Talks + Q&A * 20:00 - Drinks + networking * 20:30 - Close *** **About the speakers** **[Tobie Morgan Hitchcock](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiemorganhitchcock/) (CEO & Co-Founder, SurrealDB)** Tobie Morgan Hitchcock is CEO & Co-Founder of SurrealDB, an AI-native, multi-model database for modern applications. A tech entrepreneur and software engineer with 17 years in the software and cloud-computing industries, he founded SurrealDB in 2021 with a focus on distributed databases and highly-available architectures. **[Martin Schaer](https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinschaer/) (Solutions Engineer, SurrealDB)** Martin is a computer science engineer working at SurrealDB and his own GenAI startup. He recently worked in lab automation designing declarative frameworks for instrument drivers, and his background spans everything from 3D visualisation for robotic systems to founding an advertising agency in Costa Rica. **FAQs** **Is the venue accessible?** Absolutely! There is a lift that takes you up to Level 4 where the event is held. **Is this event for me?** SurrealDB events are for software engineers, developers, architects, data scientists, data engineers, or any tech professionals keen to discover more about SurrealDB: a scalable multi-model database that allows users and developers to focus on building their applications with ease and speed. **Am I guaranteed a ticket at this event?** Our events are tech-focused and in the interest of keeping our events relevant and meaningful for those attending, tickets are issued at our discretion. We therefore reserve the right to refund ticket orders before the event and to request proof of identity and/or professional background upon entry. **Are there any House Rules?** At SurrealDB, we are committed to providing live and online events that are safe and enjoyable for all attending. Please review our [Code of Conduct](https://surrealdb.com/legal/code-of-conduct) and [Privacy Policy](https://surrealdb.com/legal/privacy) for more information. It is compulsory for all attendees to be registered with a first **and** last name in order to attend. Any attendees who do not adhere to these requirements will be refused a ticket.

**This is an English Course for the Workplace designed to help you find employment or advance your career.** We will meet on Tuesday evenings for about 10 weeks. The course is completely free, but spots are limited to 8-10 people, so sign up if you are interested! I will need to assess if your English is at a pre-intermediate or intermediate level, so expect an assessment on your first night. *Call or WhatsApp Richard at +44 7428 086979 and mention 'English for the Workplace' if you have any questions.*

**Welcome to Networx London** Are you a founder, product manager, or tech professional interested in AI, machine learning, and cybersecurity? Join an evening for builders, leaders, and innovators across industries. This is a space to connect, share insights, and explore how AI, ML, and security are shaping business growth and innovation. 📍 **Venue: The Sycamore, Holborn** A modern, relaxed venue in central London, just steps from Holborn station. Perfect for after work networking, drinks, and great conversations. 📅 **Event Schedule** **18:30 – 19:00** \| Arrival & Warm intro **19:00 – 19:30** \| Open networking **19:30 – 21:30** \| Free networking throughout the evening 💡 **Why Attend?** Connect with founders, startup leaders, product managers, growth, and tech professionals in a dynamic, engaging setting. Discover practical strategies in AI, machine learning, and cybersecurity, share insights, and meet companies leveraging cutting-edge tools to drive innovation. **Who Should Attend:** This event is ideal for Founders, co-founders, CEOs, product managers, tech and growth professionals, investors, and operators looking to grow their network, share ideas, and connect with people building in AI, ML, and cybersecurity. **🎟 Tickets & Entry:** To avoid the venue getting overcrowded and ensure everyone enjoys an amazing night, we've introduced a small ticket price to keep things running smoothly. **Limited spots!** Register today and hit **Follow** for updates on future weekly events. 📸 **Event Photography** Please note that photos and videos may be taken for promotional purposes. 📸 **Instagram** 👉 [@networxldn](https://www.instagram.com/networxldn/ "https://www.instagram.com/networxldn/") 💼 **Connect with us on LinkedIn:** 👉 [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/networx-london/ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/networx-london/") 🔗 \*\*WhatsApp group to connect before and after the event:\*\*👉 [https://chat.whatsapp.com/GisOCaIiMeKEehV5Lv7qxg](https://chat.whatsapp.com/GisOCaIiMeKEehV5Lv7qxg "https://chat.whatsapp.com/GisOCaIiMeKEehV5Lv7qxg")

**Welcome back you fine, FINE people!** We do apologise for the two month hiatus, we've missed you terribly! I'm glad to say that, of course, our hearts HAVE GROWN EVEN FONDER for missing you and we couldn't be more excited to see you all at **APRIL GOPHERS @ AUTOGENAI!!!** So come and join us for some food, drinks and top notch (\*aspirational\*) programming chat, or at the very least some chat about the last most interesting thing you made Claude Code do. Top points for "the dishes". As always, a huge thank you to **AutogenAI** for hosting us this month, and **Dexory** for sponsoring the event! ==== 📓 **Agenda**📓 ===== (Certain timings and orders may be subject to change) **6:30pm:** Arrival, Food & Refreshments **6:55pm:** Introduction **7:00pm:** 🗣️ **Joshua Oluikpe - Real-Time Event-Driven Systems in Go: Patterns from Production** Explaining how I was able to utilize gorountines concurrency to improve high throughput in Kafka **7:25pm**: Lightning Talk ⚡ **David Coles - XDP Virtual Server: An eBPF Load Balancer library for Go** We migrated streaming and websites for the UKs largest commercial radio broadcaster to an open-source, Go/Linux based, load balancer **7:40pm:** Raffle and Break **8:00pm: 🗣️** **Rahim Kristopher Afful-Brown - Pass It On** Deep dive into CSP and actors. How it made reasoning with concurrent software easier than locking. Followed my real world examples **8:30pm:** Raffle Winners! **9:00pm:** Pub! ==== 💡 **RSVP Details** 💡 ===== When submitting your RSVP for this event, please be sure to use your **full first name and last name**, as some of our venues require these in order to let you in on the door. Submitting your name as e.g. "John D" won't be enough! We also keep track of no-shows, so **if you can't come, change your RSVP in advance!** ==== 🎉 **Prizes & Discounts!** 🎉 ===== **JetBrains Raffle!** \- We have 3 free JetBrains Product licenses to give away to some of our lucky attendees\! **Ardan Labs Raffle!** \- We're giving away one course license for Ardan Labs' Ultimate Go Bundle\! **Manning Publications Raffle!** \- We're giving away 4 free Go e\-books\! **45% Manning Publications Discount** \- a massive discount provided by the fine people at Manning\! You can also support London Gophers Events by purchasing via our affiliate link [HERE](https://mng.bz/oKqM) \- Use Code "**LGMeetup45**" for 45% off! **GopherConUK Raffle!** \- We're giving away one free ticket\!\!\! **10% GopherConUK Discount** \- The lovely people over at GopherConUK have provided a discount code for [GopherConUK 2025](https://www.gophercon.co.uk/)! At checkout, use code "**GCUK26LGM"** for 10% off! ==== 💡 **Priority Queue** 💡 ===== We reserve 20% of the attendee spots at our events for those who are underrepresented in tech. If they join the waitlist and there is a reserved spot open they will be bumped into going! These spots are reserved until the last Sunday before the event. How do we define underrepresented? We use public surveys done by the tech community such as the ones linked below. https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2022/#section-demographics https://www.jetbrains.com/lp/devecosystem-2022/#gender-and-development ==== [📢](https://emojipedia.org/loudspeaker/) **Become a Speaker!** [📢](https://emojipedia.org/loudspeaker/) ===== Have something to say? We want to listen! We are always looking for new speakers who want to share their adventures with Go and have mentors who can help. You can sign up to be a speaker here: https://gophers.london/apply ==== 🧳**Looking For a New Adventure?** 🧳 ===== On the Gophers Slack (https://gophers.slack.com) there is a **#london-jobs** channel where company and recruiters can post job opportunities. ==== [📞](https://emojipedia.org/telephone-receiver/) **How To Reach Us** [📞](https://emojipedia.org/telephone-receiver/) ===== **Email:** contact@gophers.london **Linkedin:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/london-gophers/ **Twitter / X:** https://x.com/LondonGophers **YouTube:** https://www.youtube.com/c/LondonGophers 📜 **All London Gophers events operate under the Go Community Code of Conduct** \- https://golang\.org/conduct * **Treat everyone with respect and kindness.** * **Be thoughtful in how you communicate.** * **Don’t be destructive or inflammatory.** **Please do not message members without their consent** If you encounter an issue, please mail contact@gophers.london or conduct@golang.org

## Details Welcome to the DevSecOps London Gathering April Event on Wednesday 29 April! We bring you two speakers, as well as the usual conversations, pizza and beer! 📍 **Hosted at Civo Tech Junction, 1st Floor, 32-37 Cowper Street, London, EC2A 4AW** 📅 **Wednesday, 29 April** 🕕 **6:00–8:00 PM** ## **Talk** **Abstracts:** **Talk 1** APIs are the hidden infrastructure that connects everything, like the plumbing of the modern age – though much like plumbing, **you don't realise you've got a problem until it’s too late**… This is doubly true for the AI era. It doesn't matter if you're orchestrating agents through OpenClaw, Warcraft 3 or MCP – **APIs remain the way AI escapes the bounds of the chat box into the real world**. But this new modality of APIs unfortunately didn't ship with more security. We’ve spent years lumping APIs into “web security” and calling it a day. As AI adoption accelerates, **API abuse is becoming the easiest way to escalate impact**: broken object-level auth, excessive data exposure, workflow manipulation, and agent overreach. **So what actually matters and how are attackers exploiting it?** Join **Dr Katie Paxton-Fear** as we explore API hacking as its own discipline, in the AI era. No generic web security theory. Instead, you’ll walk away understanding: * What makes **APIs uniquely vulnerable** * The bugs attackers **actually look for** * How **AI-driven workflows** expand impact * How to **test your own APIs effectively** **Katie's bio** Dr Katie Paxton-Fear is a hacker and security advocate at Semgrep – she used to make applications, and now she breaks them. A former developer, she sees security vulnerabilities as small mistakes by overstressed developers, and wants to find ways to make their life easier while making sure that we are all secure. She's found vulnerabilities in everything from the military to AI, in her own words 'without really knowing what I was doing'. She is passionate about giving back to the security community, delivering security training, writing and sharing her security research, and also through her YouTube channel – where she teaches almost 100,000 subscribers how to follow in her footsteps! She combines easy-to-understand explanations with key technical details, turning security into something everyone can understand and engage with. She's been featured as an expert in the Wall Street Journal, BBC News, ZDNet, The Daily Swig, Vodafone and more. **Talk 2** APIs are the hidden infrastructure powering modern cloud systems connecting services, platforms, and now increasingly, AI agents. In the AI era, APIs are no longer just consumed by users, they're being called, chained, and orchestrated by autonomous systems at scale. Whether it's agent workflows, microservices, or cloud-native platforms, APIs are the bridge between intelligent systems and real-world actions. However, while adoption has accelerated, security has not kept pace. Many organisations still treat API security as an extension of traditional web security, overlooking critical gaps introduced through architecture, identity design, and DevSecOps practices. So where are things actually going wrong? Join me to explore how modern cloud architectures unintentionally expose APIs from misconfigured gateways and over-permissioned identities to weak trust boundaries across services. The session will also examine how AI-driven workflows amplify these risks, turning small design flaws into large-scale vulnerabilities. **Sriram's Bio** Sriram Kumar is a Solution Designer with multiple years of experience in cloud and DevOps engineering, specialising in Microsoft Azure. He has a strong background in designing and securing cloud-native architectures, including API Management, identity-driven access, and enterprise-scale infrastructure. Sriram has worked across multiple organisations delivering secure, scalable solutions, with hands-on experience in Cloud networking, CI/CD pipelines, and DevSecOps practices. His work often involves solving real-world challenges around API security, cloud governance, and system resilience in complex environments. Beyond his professional work, Sriram actively contributes to the community through NGO initiatives and mentoring students, supporting them in building careers in cloud and technology. With a practical, architecture-first approach, Sriram focuses on bridging the gap between development, operations, and security, helping teams build systems that are not only functional but secure by design.

Our THURSDAY EVENING Session and social is primarily for Club Members but guests are welcome. It is aimed at Players of INTERMEDIATE LEVEL AND ABOVE. We would like to keep the level above intermediate. Anyone below this level may be asked to attend coaching sessions until they reach the required standard There is coaching available for beginners and players of all levels. The session will be run as follows. Courts 1 and 2 Games Court 3 Coaching & Drills If you believe you should be playing at a higher level I will be pleased to assess your game. Please respect the way the session has been planned. Any deviation from this and you may be asked to leave. Sometimes team members will need to practice together. If you are interested in trying out for one of our many league teams please let Mani know. Places may be restricted if a match is being played. The cost for this session is £13 MEMBERS WILL ALWAYS BE PRIORITISED WHEN SIGNING UP FOR SESSIONS. **THERE IS A 12 HOUR CANCELATION PILICY. IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT PLEASE UPDATE YOUR RSVP TO NO 12 HOURS BEFORE THE SESSION. ANY TIME UNDER 12 HOURS AND YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT AND UNABLE TO RSVP AGAIN UNTIL PAYMENT IS CLEARED** PLEASE BRING DRINKING WATER TO STAY HYDRATED AS ACCESS TO WATER FOUNTAINS MAY BE RESTRICTED. PLEASE PAY WHEN YOU RSVP TO GUARANTEE YOUR SPOT. I WILL NOT BE TAKING CASH PAYMENTS FOR THE TIME BEING. PAYMENT DETAILS Use Payment link https://monzo.com/pay/r/storm-bc_lDA87GJFk9hkqt Or Monzo Bank Storm BC 04-00-03 77638837 Thanks and see you on court.

PUT AN END TO AUTO! Would you like to learn to use your camera properly and get the shots you want by choice and not by accident? Attending this small group workshop will give you a strong understanding of the essentials needed to get the results you're looking for. This session will include theory and practical exercises to apply what you have learned. By the end of this session you forget about only getting great results by accident, and feel confident that you understand how to get your camera to do what you want! This is the end of Auto! WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: * The important dials and buttons on your camera * Exposure triangle: Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO * Focus * Histogram * Depth of Field * Metering * White balance * And much more... **PAYMENT OPTIONS** * **PayPal via RSVP** * The Meetup transaction fee will be added. and you'll automatically be added to attend * **Send £30 via PayPal** to \*\*[creativebeansproductions@gmail.com**](http://creativebeansproductions@gmail.com%2A%2A/) with no extra fee. * Send us a text or comment below and we will add you to the event attendee list. EXPERIENCE Beginners / Refreshers EQUIPMENT * Any camera * Any lens OTHER ESSENTIALS * A fun and experimental attitude! TRAVEL As usual check TFL website for any issues that may delay your journey. CONTACT Alex 07956 264049 **TRAVEL EVENTS** **VENICE WEEKEND - Oct 2026** [https://www.meetup.com/londonphotographiclcp/events/313109097/](https://www.meetup.com/londonphotographiclcp/events/313109097/) **UPCOMING EVENTS** [https://www.meetup.com/londonphotographiclcp/events/calendar](https://www.meetup.com/londonphotographic/events/calendar)

**Building a World Model for your organisation in Microsoft Azure** In this session, Raj Toora will explore how organisations can build a “world model” of their business using Microsoft Azure. By combining knowledge graphs, ontologies, and modern AI tooling, firms can move beyond fragmented data into a connected, queryable representation of their operations. We’ll look at how technologies like Neo4j and Cypher enable rich relationship modelling, and how emerging Fabric capabilities around graphs and ontologies are bringing these concepts closer to mainstream data platforms. We’ll also examine how Azure AI Foundry and GraphRAG patterns can sit on top of this graph foundation, enabling LLMs to reason over structured relationships rather than isolated documents. This allows organisations to ground AI responses in real business context, improving accuracy and relevance. The session will demonstrate how combining vector search with graph traversal unlocks more intelligent, explainable AI experiences. Security and governance are critical in this space. Raj will cover how Open Policy Agent (OPA) can be used to enforce fine-grained access controls across graph data and AI workflows, alongside techniques such as data obfuscation and masking to mitigate data leakage and insider risk. These controls ensure sensitive information remains protected while still enabling meaningful analysis and AI-driven insights. Finally, we’ll bring this to life in a legal context. For law firms, a world model enables powerful new questions: “Find similar client,” “Analyse similar contracts” or “How are clients, cases, and outcomes connected?” By structuring knowledge in this way, firms can unlock institutional intelligence, accelerate case preparation, and gain a competitive edge through better-informed decision making. **About the Speaker** Raj Toora is the Principal Strategist for Emerging Technology for HSFK, a top international law firm, where he leads the translation of cutting-edge innovation into practical enterprise strategy and execution. He is responsible for shaping the firm’s direction across AI, data, and digital platforms, ensuring alignment with long-term business outcomes and its Target Operating Model. Raj works across architecture, security, operations, and practice leadership to turn emerging trends into actionable investment and delivery decisions, with a focus on scalable, sustainable transformation. His work centres on building systems of intelligence, advancing AI platforms, and enabling data-driven decision making that improves both client value and organisational performance.

Databricks are bringing **DevConnect** back to London for an evening of technical chat, practical demos, and time with people who build the platform. This one is **organised and hosted by the Databricks Developer Relations team**, at the Databricks London office. Expect a mix of new features, real-world lessons, and the sort of “how does that work then?” conversations you do not get from a slide deck. **Important! To attend, register here:** [events.databricks.com/devconnect-london](https://events.databricks.com/devconnect-london) **Who’s it for?** If you work anywhere around data engineering, analytics, ML, or GenAI and you like getting into the details, you’ll be in good company. **What you’ll get out of it** * **Deep dives** into Lakebase, Genie, Knowledge Assistant, Unity Catalog, and getting AI agents into production with MLflow. * **People you can actually ask questions to**: Databricks folks across DevRel, product, field engineering, and MVPs. * **Networking, bites and beverages** (translation: you won’t be surviving on conference mints). * **Swag raffle**, plus **access to hands-on training and guided labs via Databricks Academy Labs after the event**. **Agenda** * **5:00pm – 6:00pm:** Registration & mingling * **6:00pm – 6:15pm:** Welcome remarks * **6:15pm – 6:45pm:** *Lakebase: unlock operational use cases with agents and apps on your lakehouse data* * **6:45pm – 7:15pm:** *Simplify your stack: Genie, Knowledge Assistant, and IDP (with Unity Catalog as the governance layer)* * **7:15pm – 7:45pm:** *Operationalising high quality AI agents: experimentation and evaluation through to production with MLflow* * **7:45pm – 8:00pm:** Closing remarks * **8:00pm – 9:00pm:** Networking reception *Speakers are listed as “coming soon” on the event page, so keep an eye on the registration link for the latest.* #### **When & Where:** **Wednesday 29 April 2026, 5:00pm – 9:00pm** **Databricks London, 11–14 Windmill St, London, W1T 2JG** **⚠️ *Important: you must register via Databricks*** **To attend, register here:** [events.databricks.com/devconnect-london](https://events.databricks.com/devconnect-london)

🎉 **The London Data Science & AI Meet-up** 🎉 **Our two Speakers:** [Vidhya Karthikeyan (Storio Group)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidhyalakshmi-karthikeyan/) [Luke Tonin (Funding Circle)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/luketonin/) 📅 **RSVP opens 13th April (3.5 weeks before the event)** 📍 **Agenda** **6:00pm** – Doors open, networking, food & drinks **7:00pm** – Talks kick off **8:30pm** – More drinks & networking @ local pub This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with some of the UK’s top Data Science, Machine Learning, and AI professionals — sharing challenges, ideas, and real-world learnings. The **London Data Science & AI Meet-up** is a community for professionals working across Data Science, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence. We host regular events featuring talks from practitioners and leaders applying advanced analytics, building ML systems, and scaling AI in production environments. The community is ideal for: * Data Scientists * Machine Learning Engineers * AI Engineers * Applied Scientists * Data & AI Leaders *** The meet-up is organised by **[Cognify](cognifysearch.com)**, the recruitment partner for modern data and AI teams. Our sponsor is [Omni](http://omni.co/), an AI-powered BI platform that helps people use data to do their best work. Whether users prefer AI, Excel, point-and-click exploration, or SQL, Omni enables fast, trusted answers from a governed semantic model. We’re always on the lookout for: * **Guest speakers** working on interesting AI/ML problems * **Venues** to host future events If you’d like to get involved, come chat to one of the Cognify team at the event. *** If you’re keen to dive deeper into industry insights, check out the **Stacked Data Podcast** for conversations with data and AI leaders. **Listen on:** [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/24fIpekn8WfRDZsVHNcf7Q), [Apple Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/stacked-data-podcast/id1700301417) or [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/@CognifySearch) 🚫 **No-Show Policy** If you miss 2 consecutive events, or 2 out of 3 events, you won’t be able to attend the next one. We hope you understand — this helps keep things fair for venues and other attendees.

**Latest Dojo Location!** **Knotty Pine Brewing** 1765 W 3rd Ave, Columbus, OH 43212 We're going to try a new dojo location for a few weeks and see how it works Dojos are informal Python group study sessions where everyone interested in Python gathers to learn about Python, help others with Python, or just hang out. Everyone is welcome from Python beginners to experts. Bringing a laptop is encouraged (we'll have extension cords and power strips). If there's something you want to learn leave a comment on this invite so we can plan ahead. We're looking for speakers for our Monthly Meetups! Fill out the form if you are interested in presenting to the Python Community. https://forms.gle/ehSfUAC2WgR34Crq9

It feels like we just saw each other 🤷. Join members of the local design and UX community for our monthly breakfast. For May we’re stopping in for Rooh’s popup breakfast/cafe concept. You know someone is getting the lobster yuzu croissant, and that’s not even the prettiest thing on the menu!.

Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!! https://sessionize.com/cbus-hug-2026/

We're meeting at 5pm local to read from and discuss Normal People by Sally Rooney. Read what you can beforehand and bring your thoughts, favorite moments, and questions. New members are very welcome.

Our monthly PHP meetup. A virtual shindig courtesy of Zoom. Check back here for the details around 6:15 pm

Join Neurospicy Columbus at the Stauff's for coffee and then a stroll through the Book Loft nearby! This will be a friendly chat for like minded individuals with Autism and/or ADHD (or somewhere on the Neurodiverse Spectra).

Come out to Improving for our monthly iOS and Mac meetings. This Month's Presentation: Nothing yet. (You should volunteer). What is Cocoaheads (http://cocoaheads.org/)? CocoaHeads is a group devoted to discussion of Apple Computer's Cocoa Framework for programming on MacOS X and iOS (including the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch). During monthly meetings, members present on their projects and offer tutorials on various programming topics. What is BuckeyeCocoa (http://buckeyecocoa.org/)? BuckeyeCocoa is a group of Objective-C/Swift developers/enthusiasts. We host monthly Cocoaheads and near-weekly NSCoder meetings in Columbus, Ohio. The meetings are free to attend. Presentations! Presenters welcome! We are always in need of people willing to present material. Any Swift and/or Objective-C related topic is welcome. Times can be 5 minutes (i.e. lightning talks) to a maximum of 2 hours. Interested? Contact info is on the BuckeyeCocoa website. To volunteer for a presentation contact us at @BuckeyeCocoa on Twitter. Follow us on Twitter! @BuckeyeCocoa (https://twitter.com/#!/Buckeyecocoa/) For more information: http://buckeyecocoa.org/