Directory

Michele is a Plant Scientist by training and a Research Data Scientist by trade. His work as a plant scientist revolves around the bioinformatics and genomics aspects of the field with contributions such as the assemblies of the Oryza longistaminata (red rice) and Oryza glaberrima (Africa rice) genomes.

The Data Science Institute (DSI) provides a wide range of professional system administration services to our partners, and Jim is Manager of Infrastructure Services. DSI works with collaborators’ requirements to find cost-effective computer equipment for storing data, computations, and desktop use; either with vendors like Dell, HP, and Thinkmate or building low-cost servers ourselves. Jim and staff can help you navigate University purchasing requirements and follow up with vendors if your equipment needs repair.

Nick has served as the telephony expert for the Arizona Smoker’s Helpline (ASHLine 2.0) project. He is well versed in writing code to utilize Twilio phone services such as voice recording and statistics gathering. Nick has also implemented online interfaces for UAGC clinical genetic tests such as Fragile-X and prosigna breast cancer panel. Nick is interested in machine learning techniques such as Tensorflow for image recognition.

Nick studied Computer Science at UA from 2008-2012.

Hagan oversees many mobile health projects developed by the Data Science Institute (and prior to DSI, by Data7 and the Arizona Research Laboratories BioComputing Facility), including Arizona Smoker’s Helpline (ASHLine 2.0), Kidenga Disease Tracking app, ADAPT Study of Occupational Transitions & Behavior, eLEAS electronic psychiatric testing, MiVida Saludable (MiVS) Latina breast cancer survivors project with Columbia University, Aerobic Exercise and Asthma study, and LIvES call center and relationship management VoIP web application with SMS texting capabilities optimized for behavioral

Jeff Gillan is a Research Data Scientist at the University of Arizona Data Science Institute. In the research field, he provides cyberinfrastructure and data expertise for multiple research grants involving unmanned aerial systems. 

Dr. Carlos Lizárraga is an Educator in Computational and Data Science at the University of Arizona Data Science Institute where his advisory and training activities are backed by his proficiency in scientific computing and information technologies. Dr. Lizárraga is an applied research scientist and retired Professor from the Physics Department at the University of Sonora, where he taught a Computational Physics Course using Python for Data Analysis and Numerical Computing.

Nirav Merchant serves as the Director of the Data Science Institute. For the past three decades at the University of Arizona, his research has been focused on the development of scalable computational platforms (cyberinfrastructure) in support of open science projects. His work is primarily directed towards reducing the socio-technical barriers in adoption of emerging computational and information sciences advances by domain sciences. 

Maliaca Oxnam serves as the Deputy Director for the University of Arizona’s Data Science Institute under the Office of Research, Innovation and Impact.  Maliaca has been a member of the faculty since 2000, and also holds the appointment of Librarian, where she worked within the Office of Digital Innovation and Stewardship.  In her prior roles, Maliaca founded the Technical Report Archive and Image Library, TRAIL (http://technicalreports.org) recognized nationally and supported by more than 50 academic institutions for its efforts.

Mithün is a Research Scientist and Educator at the Data Science Institute. Mithün has a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Arizona. He worked at the Information Sciences Institute of University of Southern California as a Research Scientist before joining the Data Science Institute. He also has worked in the software industry for 10+ years at corporations like Intel, Goldman Sachs, and UBS in various roles including as a product manager in a research lab.

Rudy is a seasoned leader leveraging over 28 years of progressive and successful leadership experiences as a director, project manager, and instructor during a career as a United States Marine Corps Officer. He has a comprehensive background in leading operational cross-functional teams, critical thinking, and problem solving to achieve goals and implement effective change.

Michelle has been the lead developer for the Arizona Smoker’s Helpline (ASHLine 2.0) project, creating web interfaces and surveys for coaches and clients.

Michelle earned a B.S. in Computer Science from UA in 2015.