Aisling Spain

Since March 2021: Manager in Consulting, Applied Intelligence, KPMG

I have recently joined the Applied Intelligence team at KPMG where I am looking forward to building on my existing skills in data management, analysis and visualisation and managing teams to deliver high quality solutions for clients.

March 2018 to March 2021: Technology Consulting Manager, Senior Data Technologist, PricewaterhouseCoopers

I started on the Operate Technology team; managing the data visualisation group to provide technology and data solutions to internal customers and support to teams working on client engagements. I then moved to a manger role in technology consulting, working primarily to high profile government clients and also to some private clients. Here I was responsible for managing teams to deliver data visualisations and analysis to provide actionable insights in situations where time was often restricted. I have developed a particular expertise in working with clients to assess their analytics needs and developing plans to deliver this, working from improving data quality through to final delivery of analysis and visualisation outputs. With my increasing experience, I became confident in supervising others to deliver outcomes using a variety of tools.

June 2017 to March 2018: Assistant Statistician, Youth Justice Agency

I worked on the agency’s data development agenda to support its contribution to the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Programme for Government. I improved data quality and recording procedures to support the work of developing new measures of performance to better reflect the work of the YJA. To implement change in data practices and ensure successful change, I engaged with people throughout the organisation, from frontline staff to the CEO.

June 2016 to July 2017: Fast Stream Statistician, Scottish Government

April 2015 to June 2016: Fast Stream Statistician, Department for Education

I worked on teams producing the GCSE school performance tables for England and Scottish Government publications on the pupil census and examination results. I was responsible for data analysis using SAS, SQL and SPSS and for collaborating with contractors on data collection and production. Communicating technical concepts and results clearly to senior civil servants and ministers who were not data experts was a critical part of these roles as they relied on the data and reports that I produced to inform policy and decision making related to education in England and Scotland.

August 2011 to February 2013: Postdoctoral Scientist, University of Oxford

March 2013 to January 2015: Postdoctoral Scientist, University of Sheffield

A Wellcome Trust funded project to investigate determinants of the BOLD fMRI signal by measuring cerebral blood flow and neuronal activity in conjunction with pharmacological manipulation of serotonergic neurotransmission. In the course of this project I designed and managed research projects to address the aims of the work program. I also carried out complex analyses of the data with MatLab generated by the above techniques and prepared manuscripts and a number of posters based on my results and was invited to speak at a symposium on psychedelic drugs.

October 2010 to July 2011: Research Assistant, University of Edinburgh

• Experimental design, hypothesis testing and managing a project continuing from my PhD research.

• Behavioural testing and analysis of pathological and biochemical alterations in transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury.

Spain A, Howarth C, Khrapitchev A, Sharp T, Sibson NR, Martin C. (2015) Neuroimaging and neurovascular effects of the hallucinogenic serotonin receptor agonist psilocin in the rat brain. Neuropharmacology. 99, 210

Haensel JX, Spain A, Martin C. A systematic review of methodology in rodent pharmacological MRI studies. (2015) Psychopharmacology. 232, 489

Spain A, Daumas S, Lifshitz J, Rhodes J, Andrews PJ, Horsburgh K, Fowler JH. (2010) Mild fluid percussion injury in mice produces evolving selective axonal pathology and cognitive deficits relevant to human injury. J. Neurotrauma. 27, 1429

Coltman R*, Spain A*, Tsenkina Y*, Fowler JH, Smith J, Scullion G, Allerhand M, Scott F, Kalaria RN, Ihara M, Daumas S, Deary IJ, Wood E, McCulloch J, Horsburgh K. (2011) Selective white matter pathology induces a specific impairment in spatial working memory. Neurobiol. Aging. 32, 2324.e7-2324.e12 (* Joint first authors)

Investigating functional imaging signals in the rat: effects of psilocin. A Discussion With Scientific Research On Psychedelic Drugs, Imperial College, London 12th June 2013

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpF-V48pWUA

2007 – 2011: University of Edinburgh, PhD in Neuroscience

Thesis title: Pathological and cognitive alterations in mouse models of traumatic brain injury and hypoperfusion

Techniques: Immunohistochemistry, histology, analysis of white matter and Alzheimer’s disease related pathology, Western blotting, behavioural testing in Morris water maze and radial arm maze.

Recipient of University of Edinburgh Ph.D. Scholarship (2007 – 2010)

2005 – 2007: National University of Ireland, Galway, M.Sc. (Neuropharmacology) - 1st class honours

Project title: Investigation of a hyperthermic interaction between caffeine and MDMA (“ecstasy”) in the rat

Subjects: Neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, biochemistry, drugs of abuse, pharmacokinetics, behavioural pharmacology, CNS drugs, pharmacology, statistics

Techniques: Animal handling, HPLC.

2001 – 2004: National University of Ireland, Galway, B.A. (Psychology) - 2:1

Subjects: Biological psychology, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, health psychology, research methods and statistics

Recipient of National University of Ireland entrance scholarship in 2001