An interview with Professor Paul Bonnington, Head of Monash e-Research

e-Research is leading the way in solving many of life’s mysteries including cures for disease and proving the ‘Big Bang’ theory of the universe. Monash is also leading the way in e-Research as this interview with Professor Paul Bonnington, the newly appointed Director of e-Research of Monash explains.

Photo of Professor Paul Bonnington Director, Monash e-Research Centre.

What is e-Research?

My definition of e-Research is that it is 'Collaboration Around Data' using advanced IT technologies to enable this on a large scale.

e-Research enables researchers with different skill sets and expertise to come together virtually to work on and solve many of life's mysteries by analysing data.

e-Research is not a new way, rather it’s an enhancement of existing methods of research with IT. Over time I see there will be a large increase in demand for the various e-Research methods used.

e-Research is fundamentally changing the way that research is conducted:

• Faster – real time, high-speed networks, high-throughput processing
• Better – strengthening research robustness, and encouraging cross-discipline research
• Different – new methodologies made possible through IT (e.g. the informatics based disciplines)

For example researchers can use datacentric methods in their research to collect as much data as they can, then mine it to extract information, or ‘mash it up’ with other data sources from other disciplines. This discovery work at the intersection of disciplines can lead to groundbreaking results and unexpected outcomes.

The value of e-Research is demonstrated in large scale research projects involving the world’s largest particle accelerator at CERN in Geneva and thousands of high-energy physicists. The research is searching for the Higgs particle, which if found will help to prove many theories about the origins of the universe. The only other time the Higgs particle existed was in the first few billionths of a second after the big bang.

For this experiment, 600,000 CD’s worth of data will be generated every second. And, some expect it will take two years of processing this data on thousand’s of computers throughout the world to find just one particle. It is like searching for a ‘specific needle in a stack of needles’.

Another benefit of e-Research is that it is scaleable. Let’s say some researchers are investigating heart disease. Different groups with specific expertise in the study of the heart can:

• produce data through imaging (microscopic upwards)
• produce algorithms that model the observed data
• correlate with clinical heart attack data.

e-Research enables different disciplines and group skills throughout the world to get together as though they are in the same lab to find answers. And it is where these different disciplines overlap, is where the new innovations will come from.

What is your role?

My role is to bring together, involve and showcase e-research opportunities in and outside of Monash. We facilitate research groups engaging with the IT in such a way that it is customised for their specific requirements. We also intend to produce materials and run events that showcase the e-Research expertise, resources, services and opportunities at Monash and overseas.

Monash e-Research vision / aims

• To make the above happen by bringing together ‘the willing’ and making the application of IT into their research work as painless as possible.

• To sell the concept to new groups. To outreach and identify and touch new opportunities.

• To work together as a partnership between researchers and software developers. Rather than pushing technologies, being responsive to researcher requirements no matter how unusual.

• To keep the entry cost low for researchers with simpler tools and ways to engage that deliver immediate and high benefits.

What do you see as Monash’s strengths in e-Research?

Monash’s leadership role in Australia is as the only dedicated e-research university in Australia, and its very heavy involvement in various strategic national e-research activities.

Monash’s global footprint of international campuses creates an opportunity to leverage off this reach.

In developing 'Collaboratories', where it has been suggested that in five years all scientific papers in all areas will be made in these virtual laboratories. For example, Monash’s participation in Auscope which is the organisation for Australian National Earth Science Infrastructure program, and Monash’s involvement in European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL).

Further opportunities

The Large Research Data Store (LaRDS) went ‘live’ in early 2008 which is one of the first steps to a coordinated research data management plan. It offers a petabyte of network storage and is available to anyone at Monash with growing research data storage needs.

At Monash we have a growing pool of high performance computing resources. And we are rolling out some no cost research collaboration services like desktop-based videoconferencing and collaboration tools that allow larger research groups of 10 – 20 people throughout the globe to communicate in real-time from the office.

Where does e-Research sit in the Monash organisational structure?

e-Research sits in a nexus of IT Services Division, Library, DVC Research Office and the Faculty of IT and is a customised delivery vehicle for the services that come from those groups.

I report to Professor Edwina Cornish, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice President Research.

What do you enjoy about e-Research at Monash?

The fun is being right where the technology development is happening and seeing that we contribute to real research outcomes that are substantial and ground-breaking.

Seeing that we enrich the tools researchers have available to them and providing researchers with new techniques.

More information: e-research