This website contains a summary of some of my personal projects, technical skills, experiences, and education.

Experience

Technical

Bioinformatics Research Assistant

University of Cambridge, Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute (Core Bioinformatics Group)
July 2023 - Present
  • Researching and developing fuzzy community-detection clustering methods for single cell data.
  • Leading ClustAssessPy, a Python version of the ClustAssess package (https://github.com/Core-Bioinformatics/ClustAssessPy). The package has more than 100k installations.
  • Creating a tool to streamline the downstream analysis of bulk alternative splicing datasets.
  • Analysis of next-generation datasets.

Bioinformatics Intern

University of Cambridge, Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute (Core Bioinformatics Group)
April 2023 - July 2023
  • Performed analysis and integration of next-generation sequencing datasets.
  • Specialised on the identification and analysis of alternative splicing events.

Programming Lab Support Assistant

Newcastle University
January 2021 - June 2021
  • Assisted first year Computer Science students through programming assignments (mostly Java), ensuring they understood solutions.
  • Developed my communication and mentoring skills by practising explaining complicated concepts to less technically skilled audiences.

Chief Technology Officer

Great Britain - Cyprus Business Association
December 2019 - May 2021
  • Created and managed the webpage. Was responsible for everything technical related involving the association.
  • Learned more about the business world and how to be successful in it.
  • Learned how to communicate effectively with clients.
  • Further developed my problem-solving, time-management, and planning skills.

positions of responsibility

Peer Mentor

Newcastle University
September 2020 - June 2021
  • Responsible for mentoring 12 first year Computer Science students and helping them adjust to university life.
  • Sharing things I wished I knew when I was first starting university.
  • Made me a better listener, more proactive, and more confident in helping others.

additional work experience

Infantry Soldier, Anti-Tank Warfare Expertise

Cyprus National Guard
July 2017 - September 2018
  • Leader of a squad of eight people assigned to a point on Cyprus's buffer zone (green line).
  • Developed team-leading, problem-solving, survival and stress managing skills.

Academic

Degrees

MPhil Population Health Sciences (Health Data Science stream)

University of Cambridge Distinction (Marked with Bands)
October 2022 - July 2024

MODULES
Applied Machine Learning, Intro to Machine Learning, Bayesian Statistics, Statistics for HDS, Advanced Biostatistics, Applied Data Analysis, Geostatistical Modelling, Infectious Diseases Modelling, Public Health, Epidemiology, Research Skills

AWARDS

  • 1st person to achieve a distinction in the HDS stream since the introduction of this degree in 2021/2022 (~15-20 students each year).
  • Fully funded tuition fees for my master’s at the University of Cambridge.

EXTRACURRICULAR

  • Committee member of the Cambridge University AI Ethics society, helping organising events discussing the ethical use of AI, hackathons, and socials. I have also developed the website of the society.
  • Won the Imagine Cup UK (2022-2023). One-fourth of team Laso. Developed an AI-powered medical web platform using Flask that empowers clinicians to forecast a hospital patient's need for intensive care. Represented the UK in the EMEA finals.

MSc Artificial Intelligence

University of St Andrews Distinction (90.5%)
September 2021 - September 2022

MODULES
AI Principles, AI Practice, Machine Learning, Signal Processing, Constraint Programming, Language and Computation, Interactive Software and Hardware

AWARDS
Dean's list

BSc Computer Science

Newcastle University First Class (81.8%)
September 2018 - June 2021

RELEVANT MODULES
Bioinformatics, Mathematics for Computer Science, Database Technology, Web Technologies, Software Engineering, Cryptography, Human-Computer Interaction, Mobile Development

AWARDS
ncl+ award

Publications

Microfluidic antibody profiling after repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination links antibody affinity and concentration to impaired immunity and variant escape in patients on anti-CD-20 therapy

A. Priddey, M. Chen-Xu, D. Cooper, S. MacMillan, G. Meisl, C. Xu, M. Hosmillo, I. Goodfellow, R. Kollyfas, R. Doffinger, J. Bradley, I. Mohorianu, R. Jones, T. Knowles, R. Smith, V. Kosmoliaptsis

Frontiers in Immunology, 2024
RNA binding protein with multiple splicing (RBPMS) promotes contractile phenotype splicing in human embryonic stem cell–derived vascular smooth muscle cells

A. Jacob, I. Moutsopoulos, A. Petchey, R. Kollyfas, V. Knight-Schrijver, I. Mohorianu, S. Sinha, C. Smith

Cardiovascular Research, 2024

Programming Skills

Languages

R Python Shell/Bash Java Swift JavaScript Matlab SQL PHP

Technologies/libraries

TensorFlow Scikit-learn Seurat NumPy PyTorch HuggingFace SpaCy NLTK Tidyverse Caret Node.js Next.js Firebase Microsoft Azure


Highlighted Projects

I recently worked on a variety of projects, and I would like to showcase a selection of them here. However, if you're interested in seeing more, you can check out my Github profile where you can find a more comprehensive list of my work (even though not all of my projects are public).

Cambridge Dissertation

cambridge_dissertation

R package (flufftail), designed for single-cell data analysis through the angle of fuzzy community-detection clustering that aims to characterise fuzzy cells/genes and subsequently uncover insights on mechanisms that drive cellular plasticity and GRN dynamics.

ClustAssessPy

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A Python package for data-driven parameter values selection across all stages (dimensionality reduction, graph construction, clustering) of graph-based community detection clustering in single-cell datasets.

St Andrews dissertation

msc diss

Use of machine learning to identify biomarkers that can predict sensitivity or resistant to a new anti-cancer drug (NUC-7738) using extremely high dimensional multi-omics data.

Context-Free Grammar

bsc diss

Context-free grammar (CFG) for parsing English sentences, extended with number agreement and subcategorization features to improve linguistic accuracy. Tested the grammar with positive and negative sentences for validation.

Quantum-Quack.org

quantum-quack.org

Quantum Quack makes a random choice in a list of options you provide. The choice is made using quantum random numbers, which are truly random, as opposed to ordinary random numbers.

Holodoro

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An interactive software and hardware project that rewards the users by automatically watering their favourite plant whenever they study. Oh, and it also involves a holographic timer!



Contact Details

Personal Email: rafaelkoll98@gmail.com

Academic Email: rk720@cam.ac.uk

Mobile: +44 7999437959