2023
👋 I'm Alex
🌍 I’m interested in generating new data for past climate reconstructions, statistical analysis of this numerical data, and data visualisation
🧑🏻🎓 I write packages in R and Shiny
👨🏻🔬 Data science, analytical chemistry, computed tomography, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, isotopic analysis, and relational databases
📈 My flagship project is an interactive timeline of historical events and climate change
👨🏻💻 Always open for the next opportunity
👇🏻 Check it out below! By Alex Searle-Barnes.
GitHub
Open code on GitHub
I have made my code from published works and some personal projects available on GitHub. All of my own work is open source and is licensed for re-use. Each repository has more details.
A timeline of historical events and climate
This is an interactive webpage displaying key climate measures alongside key historical events, all on plots that have a unified x-axis as controlled by the sliders.
This project was to aggregate multiple existing data sources to show concurrent events. The code is written in R and Shiny. All the sources used are listed in the individual CSV files then aggregated in Sources.R and are displayed in the main app.R on request.
lablaster: Laser Ablation BLASt Through Endpoint in R
lablaster imports a single time resolved LA-ICP-MS analysis, then the algorithm determines the time stamp when the laser has ablated through the calcite as a function of change in signal over time. The function returns the time stamp of the final on-target shot and a data frame containing only the relevant data that represents the target. All presented code, including visualisation tools for manual validation, and example data are available from CRAN.
Visualise Microsoft Planner tasks as a Gantt chart
This is an interactive webpage displaying the tasks made in Microsoft Planner as a Gantt chart.
Research Interests
University of Southampton
I am interested in generating new data for making past climate reconstructions, statistical analysis of this numerical data, and data visualisations.
I develop new methods with analytical instrumentation and planktic foraminifera to study variability of phylogeny and geochemistry between individuals and within species. My primary work with the PISTON research project within the Palaeoceanography and Palaeoclimatology research group at the National Oceanography Centre Southampton matures ecology and evolution theories and expands palaeoclimate reconstructions. I work with high temporal resolution sediment core samples and at individual foraminifera chamber resolution to elucidate taxonomic and geochemical changes occurring on the geological and ecological timescales.
I specialise in novel data generation by X-ray computed tomography, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry. I combine these multi-proxy data into a relational database to make new links through data-driven science.
I support 3rd and 4th-year undergraduates to contribute to a live research project.
St. James's Place
I am the first Data Scientist at St. James's Place Wealth Management. I bring experience with advanced analytical techniques to the financial services industry to answer questions about clients, the Partnership, and business informatics.
I specialise in statistical modelling - the untangling of complex and compounded signals using mixed effect models and multi-factor regressions, interactive data visualisation, and peer-review research findings. I lead advanced analytical projects to support data evidenced decision-making. Linking together private and public datasets, I build models that help explain our complicated environment and predict the impact of policy decisions.
I lead workshops introducing data science techniques and the benefits it brings to upskill others through personal development.
Publications
- A. Searle-Barnes, A. Brombacher, O. L. Katsamenis, K. Rankin, M. Mavrogordato, and T. H. G. Ezard, "Ten recommendations for scanning foraminifera by X-ray computed tomography", 2024, Journal of Micropalaeontology, in review.
- J. M. Mulqueeney, A. Searle-Barnes, A. Brombacher, M. Sweeney, A. Goswami, and T. H. G. Ezard, "How many specimens make a sufficient training set for automated three-dimensional feature extraction?", 2024, Royal Society Open Science. doi.org/10.1098/rsos.240113
- H. Lin, W. Zhang, J. M. Mulqueeney, A. Brombacher, A. Searle-Barnes, M. Nixon, X. Cai, and T. H. G. Ezard, "3DKMI: A MATLAB package to generate shape signatures from Krawtchouk moments", 2024, Methods in Ecology and Evolution. doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.14388
- A. Searle-Barnes, A. J. Milton, C. Standish, and T. H. G. Ezard, "Laser ablation mass spectrometry automatic end point blast through detection in R", 2023, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry. doi.org/10.1002/rcm.9533
- A. Brombacher, A. Searle-Barnes, W. Zhang, and T. H. G. Ezard, "Analyzing planktonic foraminiferal growth in three dimensions: an R package for automated trait measurements from CT scans", 2022, Journal of Micropalaeontology. doi:10.5194/jm-41-149-2022
- L. E. Kearns, A. Searle-Barnes, G. L. Foster, A. J. Milton, C. Standish, and T. H. G. Ezard, "The influence of geochemical variation among Globigerinoides ruber individuals on paleoceanographic reconstructions", 2023, Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. doi:10.1029/2022PA004549
- W. Zhang, T. H. G. Ezard, A. Searle-Barnes, A. Brombacher, O. Katsamenis, and M. Nixon, "Towards Understanding Speciation By Automated Extraction And Description Of 3D Foraminifera Stacks", 2020, IEEE Southwest Symposium on Image Analysis and Interpretation (SSIAI).
- A. Brombacher, W. Zhang, A. Searle-Barnes, P. Wilson, and T. H. G. Ezard, “Does developmental plasticity influence speciation? Using high-resolution CT scanning to quantify ontogenetic trajectories in planktonic foraminifera before, during and after speciation”, 2018, GSA Annual Meeting.
CV
A concise curriculum vitae
Other Interests
The Loop
I volunteer for The Loop, a harm reduction charity that provides drug safety testing and harm reduction services at nightclubs, festivals, and in city center communities.
Hobbies
I enjoy cycling.
Contact Me
Email Me
You can reach me at alex-public@outlook.com