Meet the team: Dr Stelios Kyriakidis, Bioinformatician

Early goals

As a child growing up in Greece I was always fascinated by computers and engineering. However, my first dream job was to become a firefighter, spending my time driving around on a fire truck. Things didn’t quite work out that way, and instead I’ve pursued a career in science.

Academic history

My academic background is very diverse, having a Bachelor and MSc in Medical Engineering, MbR in Cancer Research (Bioinformatics) and a PhD in Plant Sciences (Bioinformatics). My academic career was followed by a year as a Post Doctorate Fellow at the Scottish Oceans Institute, St Andrews, working in the European Marine Biological Research Infrastructure Cluster (EMBRIC) project.

A typical day?

Bioinformatics is a really interesting area of science, bringing together the tools of computation and analysis with biological data. At Xelect that means I combine genetic data (provided by our lab team) and real-world biological data (provided by our customers) and develop new technologies and tools that help us turn those into meaningful analysis for our Breeding Programme Managers. It means I get to work very closely with everyone at Xelect.

One of our most unique tools is OptiMate – a powerful piece of software we’ve built that allows us to run millions of possible mating combinations and find the best possible combinations for our customers. I’m also working on the development of our 3D Scanner, looking at developing machine learning that will allow us to predict the fillet yield of live fish. Usually my computer screen is filled with lots of terminal tabs, and my desk is filled with coffee cups.

Outside Xelect

I am a huge Star Wars fan but I don’t think that is such a “surprising fact” about me! I like to spend time with friends and family and do some gardening in my free time. I also enjoy archery and would love to get the opportunity to practise it more.

At weekends I’ll often be found hiking around Scotland, enjoying the beautiful hidden locations. When back in Greece I love to spend most of the time out in the sun, enjoying a cold coffee with friends and family next to the sea.