Roskilde University launches new research centre for big data

Big data is a concept that has really gained ground over the past 10-15 years and it covers collection, storage and analysis of large volumes of data across most aspects of people's everyday lives and society in general.

Now Roskilde University launches the interdisciplinary research centre know as Centre for Big Data which is to bring together research activities within the field of big data. The centre is to be used by the numerous researchers at Roskilde University who increasingly conduct research into and use big data within a variety of areas. This includes everything from disease control, computerised processes in the public administration, targeting of content to specific users of media or campaigns and development of systems for storage and analyses of large volumes of data.

The centre also has four associated PhD students – one from each of the departments at Roskilde University.

Henrik Bulskov, Associate Professor at Computer Science, and Jannie Møller Hartley, Associate Professor at Journalism, are to be heads of the centre for the next three years.
"Big data increasingly concerns all parts of society and things are moving incredibly fast. The volume of data increases every minute, and big data are used more and more to make decisions, both in the public sector and in the private sector, and will in future have a major influence on many parts of our world. As society, we can benefit from and be subjected to that," says Henrik Bulskov, Head of Centre, and adds:

"Decisions driven by data alone are definitely not the solution, and the use of data requires other perspectives to make the decision-making basis as balanced as possible. We therefore need interdisciplinary research to clarify and study the numerous possibilities of big data to ensure that decisions and technology based on data support and develop rather than standardise and restrict," says Henrik Bulskov.

Centre for Big Data is established by the Board of Directors and Pro-rector of Roskilde University supported by funds from the Ministry for Higher Education and Science.
"We look forward to bringing all these amazing researchers together across their academic areas of expertise and create an interdisciplinary approach to data research at Roskilde University. The goal is to create new research communities and new projects that can contribute to new knowledge about big data. Such new knowledge will also be created in collaboration with companies and public and private institutions," says Jannie Møller Hartley, Deputy Head of Centre.

The research center will be physically located at Roskilde University Library.