Steve is currently interested in practical semantics for data: finding ways in which the collection of semantic tools that has been developed over the last decade may be integrated and presented to users and developers so that they may be able to specify, develop and use information systems that gather well-explained, interoperable data.
Steve Harris graduated with a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Birmingham in 1988, where he was the first (at Birmingham) to submit his thesis unbound and laser printed. After a spell in industry where he became a full time software engineer specialising in data-mining, CRM and warehouse management applications, he returned to the University of Birmingham in the late '90s to lead IT for two of the University's three clinical trials units. Here he overhauled information system provision in preparation for international collaboration, raised the capability-maturity of the department in anticipation of pharmaceutical collaboration, and developed systems to support multi-site warehousing for randomised double-blind study drug allocation. Steve also implemented a meta-data repository for the Birmingham Cancer Unit in support of continual process improvement in the management of clinical studies. In 2001 he moved down to Oxford to help establish the NTRAC Head Office.
Steve was seconded from NTRAC to the Computing Laboratory under Jim Davies to help develop Oxford University's contribution to clinical and bioinformatic e-Science, where he has made contributions to the e-Diamond project and the National Cancer Tissue Resource. It was on the latter project that Jim and Steve linked up with James Brenton and the scene was set for the Cambridge-Oxford collaboration in cancergrid.
Steve has a practical interest in clinical information systems for research, medical informatics, medical research system security, health care system integration, knowledge representation and very large relational databases. Recently he has become an evangelist of all things XML. Recently with Aadya and Jim he has begun to look at how the insights might apply to data sharing in e-Government.
Outside of work, Steve devotes his time his two small children, his wife, a guitar collection and a band (in order of decreasing time availability).
