Bayes Centre Community Profile: BioSS
Bayes Centre community member Biomathematics & Statistics Scotland (BioSS), is a research institute that brings together state-of-the-art quantitative methodologies and data-science with interdisciplinary expertise in agriculture, biology, ecology, epidemiology, environmental and social science.
About BioSS
BioSS is a research institute that uses mathematics and statistics to improve agriculture, food, and the environment, through enhancing understanding of societal challenges, informing data science to drive innovation, and advancing quantitative methods.
With strong technical and communications skills, BioSS’ staff collaborate effectively with industry, government, and scientists from various disciplines. Their research spans three key themes: statistical genomics and bioinformatics, process and systems modelling, and statistical methodology. These research themes endow BioSS’ staff with the skills to provide high quality, cross-cutting solutions to applied problems in plant science, animal health and welfare, ecology and environmental science, and human health and nutrition. All their solutions are bespoke, closely co-developed with their clients and collaborators, seeking to offer the best fit for each challenge they are presented with.
BioSS believes in the importance of open science and in taking a collaborative approach to developing and applying the quantitative methods needed to enhance scientific knowledge and impact. Read more about how you can collaborate with BioSS.
BioSS at the Bayes Centre
BioSS chose to base itself at the Bayes Centre because of its ideal environment for collaboration with scientists and partner organisations.
Prof Mark Brewer, BioSS Director, said:
BioSS was established to collaborate with scientists and partner organisations, so for us the Bayes Centre seems the perfect place to be. Many of our colleagues are in fact based at research institutes – helping ensure effective and productive working relationships, so that we can learn about the science of our collaborators before applying our quantitative skills in consultancy and research. Moving into the Bayes Centre gives us more opportunities to collaborate and work with new partners and members.
BioSS has always striven to innovate. Joining the tech ecosystem at the Bayes Centre is important for BioSS to foster new partnerships and expand its network. BioSS staff thrive in collaborative work, and at the Bayes Centre, they endeavour to increase opportunities.
The Journey
Founded in 1987 as the Scottish Agricultural Statistics Service, BioSS began with a mission to bring together statisticians based in several Scottish agricultural research institutes. This collaboration aimed to establish an organisation with sufficient critical mass to both support the applied science activities of the institutes and to conduct its own research programme in statistical science.
Over the years, BioSS evolved, expanding its team to over 50 members and broadening its expertise to include mathematical modelling, bioinformatics and more general data science. Recently, BioSS has seen an expansion of activities related to the COVID-19 pandemic, to energy production in the North Sea and by regaining access to UKRI funding. They have established agreements with various scientific organisations to apply their data science research and research-based applications to environmental and agricultural problems.
Today, BioSS’s work spans environmental science, ecology, plant and crop science, animal health and welfare, and human nutrition.
BioSS’s achievements and challenges
BioSS has achieved real-world impact in several different areas. For example, they help the progress of offshore wind farm projects in the North Sea by leading the development of the statistical methodology required to support modelling ecological impacts of wind turbines. In addition, they provided valuable support to the Scottish Government during the COVID-19 pandemic, by modelling the links between COVID in wastewater and cases of COVID in humans. To learn more about BioSS’ current and previous work, read some of their case studies here.
One of the biggest challenges is that the funding landscape for agricultural and environmental science is constantly changing, reflecting changes in the priorities of governments and society as a whole. However, BioSS has kept pace with these changes by moving with the times, and by developing the methodology and skills which support current and future scientific endeavours.