cv

Alif Aziz

Medical and Neuroscience student interested in biological and artificial descriptions of learning. Possesses significant research experience in machine learning, software design, and in a clinical medical environment. Demonstrable interest in building hardware and software.

Education

MSc Neuroscience, University of Oxford

• Title to be decided.
  • Supervised by:
    • Prof. Tim Behrens, Dr. Alon Baram, Svenja Küchenhoff
  • Analysis of fMRI data modelling a cognitive navigation task
• Investigating the classification performance of hierarchical predictive dendrites networks.
  • Supervised by:
    • Prof. Rafal Bogacz, Prof. Nicol Harper
  • Co-author in upcoming paper for this contribution
  • Developed novel biologically plausible machine learning algorithm for classification (Deep learning & classification)
  • Derived mathematical model dynamics and implemented to explore non-linear dynamics of the model.
  • Link to implementation: Predictive-Neurons

iBSc Mathematics, Computing and Medicine (Hons), University College London

• Development of a spatial navigation task using line-following robots
  • Supervised by: Prof John O’Keefe, Dr. Jake Ormand
  • Developed a python library for controlling a robotic maze for an animal navigation task
  • Self-taught object-oriented programming and library development
  • Integrated software with hardware used for the animal experiment task
  • Link to software library: Honeycomb-Maze

Modules Taken

• Machine Learning for Domain Specialists
• Introductory Python
  • Coursework link: GhitaHub
• Mathematical Methods in Medical Physics
• Mathematical Modelling in Biomedicine
• Neural Computation: Models of Brain Function

Medicine MBBS, University College London

• Preclinical anatomy, physiology, for all the human systems (including undergraduate level biochemistry, physiology, anatomy, and neuroscience)
• Clinical Placements in a range of hospital specialties (inc. Neurology)

St Johns College, Cardiff

• A Levels: Biology (A), Chemistry (A), Physics (A), Mathematics (A), EPQ (A)
• GCSEs: (7 A*s, 3 As)

Additional Academic Experience

Research Internship at Max Plank Centre for Computation Psychiatry

• Supervised by Prof. Raymond Dolan & Lennart Luettgau
• Developing Successor Representation Models and Comparing them to RNNs (with PyTorch) performing the same task

Abstract submission, poster presentation & Highly Commended Award to BHIVA conference**

• Supervised by Dr. Tristan Barber, Ian Charleson Day Centre, Royal Free Hospital
• Entitled: Regimens and outcomes for people with HIV and known hepatitis B core antibody positivity

  Rani Rawji Studentship

• Supervised by Nischalan Pillay (Awarded £1000)
  • Summer research project with the Pillay Lab, UCL Cancer Institute [Summer 2020]
  • Poster presentation entitled Characterisation of the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Tumour Microenvironment Using Image Analysis at PathSoc Winter Meeting [Jan 2022]
  • Poster Presentation at Studentship Seminar entitled Analysis of Gene Composition of Undifferentiated Sarcoma [Nov 2021]

Other Interests

Social Secretary of Rani Rawji Studentship

• Interviewed and selected candidates for £1000 Research studentships for 1st and 2nd year medical students
• Organised and hosted student research conferences and social events.

RUMS MDs Comedy Society

• Acting and comedy sketch writing
• Directed sell-out comedy show at Museum of Comedy, London (2021)
• Directed Edinburgh Fringe show (2023)