Profile
Mazdak Salavati
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About Me:
I live in Edinburgh, Scotland and I am computational/data scientist. I used to be a vet working with dairy cows mainly but I liked animal research more than vet practice, so here I am 🙂 I love open water swimming and walking our dog on the beach.
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For the love of Cows and Computers!!!
I used to tinker about computers and laptops since I was very young so picked up some skills around using LINUX systems, right around when I was a teenager. Fast forward 25+ years (Shhhh!! don’t guess my age) and now I work with much larger computers the size of a building (super computers). -
My pronouns are:
He/Him
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My Work:
I use large computers and internet connectivity to collect data from cows and other livestock species like pigs, sheep, goats or even buffalos! I teach data science which requires a bit of coding and interest in understanding pattern or events, very much so like detectives working their way through the clues.
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My Typical Day:
Turn on my laptop or drive to the office around 8am. Go through my tasks with the team of people I work with or manage. Spend sometime with cute calves or lambs around the campus. Have multiple cups of tea!!! And this before lunch. I’ll check my emails and go through my readings or writings plans that I have made from the begining of each week. Some days I get to code really cool programmes that I can show others or solve their problem with manual/repetitive tasks. Normally leave work by 4:30 to be home by 6pm, unless I’m working from home where just close the lid!
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I’d really like to donate it to the Dog and Cat home shelter in Edinburgh. We have 2 cats and dog while over the years we have a few lovely furry friends rehomed from them. Its a great cause if you are an animal lover.
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Education:
I was born in Tehran, Iran so I went to school in Tehran and majored in biology. Soon after I was accepted in the Veterinary Medicine Faculty of the UoT (2003) for a 7 year course where I trained to be a mixed practice vet. Then I moved to London (2010) for my PhD where I studied at University of Bedfordshire and was hosted at the Royal Vet College, University of London. I graduated in 2013 with a PhD in Biomedical Sciences and I knew by then I want to be a research scientist as a career choice.
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Qualifications:
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
Philosophers Doctorate (PhD)
Associated fellow of Higher Education Academy (AFHEA)
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Work History:
Worked on a few projects in England (2013-2018) and then moved to Scotland in 2018 where I had the honour of working at one of the best research institutes in the UK, The Roslin Institute (where Dolly the sheep was cloned).
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Current Job:
After 10 years since my PhD and publishing more than 50 papers I finally joined Scotland’s Rural College as a Reader in Data Science working with the Dairy Research Centre in March 2023. During my time as an educator I also managed to become an associated fellow of the Higher Education academy and be a member since 2017. Now I have more than 1000 citations of my research publications according to the Google scholar platform (2025) .
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Employer:
Scotland’s Rural College
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My Interview
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What did you want to be after you left school?
I wanted to be veterinarian
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Sometimes for playing too much basketball in the yard when I should have come back to the class.
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
I would be probably working with animal shelters or as a zoo keeper
Who is your favourite singer or band?
LinkinPark, Metallica, Nirvana and System of a Down
What's your favourite food?
Pizza (I know its boring but I love napoleon authentic thin-crust pizza)
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Live a healthy life, Be loved by my family and Be surrounded by my animals.
Tell us a joke.
Why computers are so cool? Because they have fans!
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Resilience, empathetic and sarcastic.
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