Dr Batool Almarzouq

Dr Batool Almarzouq is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool and currently serves as the Research Project Manager for the AI for Multiple Long-Term Conditions: Research Support Facility (AIM RSF) at The Alan Turing Institute. The AIM RSF forms part of a broader £23 million National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) initiative focused on artificial intelligence and multi-morbidity. Within this role, she has been instrumental in shaping the programme’s delivery and governance, connecting 27 institutions across the UK to drive long-term, real-world impact. She has restructured the delivery framework mid-programme, developing new milestones and indicators with a flexible but coherent project vision.

In addition, Batool is the Data Service Manager for the new Imagery Smart Data Service (Imago), one of a family of data services funded by ESRC’s Smart Data Research UK programme. Imago aims to radically transform the ‘usability’, ‘utility’, and ‘usage’ of satellite imagery in social science, public health, and policymaking. The service is designed to unlock the potential of satellite imagery to address pressing challenges in the UK, particularly around environmental vulnerability, urban development and housing, and health and wellbeing.

Batool is also a recognised global leader in open science. She represents the Arab region on the International Association of Universities (IAU) Expert Group on Open Science, an initiative developed with UNESCO. Her work with the IAU involves shaping recommendations and best practices that guide universities worldwide in embedding equitable, sustainable open science models.

With a strong belief in addressing systemic inequities in knowledge production, Batool views open science as a tool for decolonisation and rebalancing global epistemic landscapes. She founded the Open Science Community Saudi Arabia (OSCSA), which introduces and contextualises open science practices across Arabic-speaking countries. The community builds local capacity, reduces infrastructure barriers, and creates Arabic-language resources. This work led to the development of the Open Innovation Platform, supported by a grant from Invest in Open Infrastructure (IOI).

Batool is a Subject Matter Expert in NASA's Transform to Open Science program initiative, co-developing training modules for a global audience. She serves as a jury member (2024–2026) for the prestigious Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research. She was also selected as a DWeb Fellow by the Internet Archive, contributing to global conversations on decentralised technologies and knowledge justice.

Batool completed her PhD in Computational Biology at the University of Liverpool. Her research focused on breast cancer, combining machine learning with molecular dynamics simulations on high-performance computing platforms. Post-PhD, she collaborated with Odin Vision on Data Study Group (DSG), working on explainable AI for clinical diagnostics.

Batool is a mentor and part of the governance committee in OLS, she has supported multiple international projects. She founded the first R-Ladies chapter in the Arabian Gulf (Dammam), building regional collaborations and promoting gender equity in data science. She now serves on R-Ladies' global leadership team.

Her public engagement work spans global events in the UAE, Kuwait, USA, Saudi Arabia, Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands. She was a panellist at AI-UK 2023 discussing ethical tech governance and has spoken at UNESCO’s Working Group on Open Science Policies. Her 2024 talk at the UN Internet Governance Forum explored breaking tech monopolies via interoperability.

Batool also co-organised multiple conferences, including useR 2021, Responsible Research in Action Unconference, Pioneering AI in MLTC: Bridging Research and Practice Conference 2024 and Global Dynamics in Responsible Research 2022.