OSMIBIUM

✉ : julian@codabulo.com


The personal site of Julian George 
software engineer / web developer / cell scientist

My experience is in computer programming, AI, and biomedical science, specialising in neural cell culture and tissue engineering. 

Current Work

codabulo

A website for growing and sharing ideas. The goal of this project is to create a story driven experience built on user content that supports individual creators and communities to grow small ideas into something much bigger.  Content creation will be supported by unobtrusive AI.

There are three main areas: 


To see the work in progress, visit:

https://codabulo.com/demo


Toolset: Next.js (with NextUI & Tiptap editor for text entry) / Tailwind CSS / Node / Typescript / React / MobX / hosted on Google Firebase

wave~flow

An analysis system for financial markets. The goal of this project is to give everyday users access to a simple visual toolset that interprets the complex wave flow patterns found in stock momentum, sentiment change,  seasonal market swings and price movement swings prior to predictable events such as earnings reports and announcements. 


The visual toolset allows this complex information to be quickly assessed, allowing users to be better informed before making key investment decisions.


Toolset: Python / MongoDB (Artic library) / Flask API / Node / Typescript / React / Tailwind CSS / hosted on AWS using Docker

Skill Sets

Web:  Typescript, Next.js, React, PHP, CSS (& Tailwind CSS), d3.js, Figma, Photoshop & Corel  Graphics Suite

Programming: Python (SciPi, Pandas, Flask, Keras, TensorFlow), C#, C++, Dart (Flutter), SQL, Docker, AWS, Google Firebase

Research Scientist: Microbioreactor design and culture, CAD & 3D printing, Confocal Microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy & FIB, iPSC culture and differentiation (iPSCs -> cortical neurons), Hydrogel neural culture, Multichannel electrode recording, ELIZA, PCR and blotting analysis. 

Previous Work


Post Doctoral Research Associate (PDRA)

2010 to 2019: IBME, Oxford University 

PDRA at the Oxford Tissue Engineering Group. 

Created 3D human iPSC culture models in hydrogels and 3D printed constructs. I managed the lab (30 engineers and scientists) and trained users in microscopy, iPSC cell culture, assay development and equipment prototyping.



Software Developer

2009 to 2010: 67Bricks.co.uk, Oxford

C#, .Net MVC, Java, XML database technologies: As part of a small team, I helped develop several software applications and provided consultancy for large publishing house clients based in the pharmaceutical sector.


2000 to 2004, 2008: iBlocks.co.uk, London

Web front-end (JBoss richfaces component library, EJB3, JBoss-Seam, mySQL and SQL Server 2005), Java (J2EE, JDBC) software engineering, web design and database development for the energy and transport markets.

Selected Publications


Research Gate: Julian George


Neural tissue engineering with structured hydrogels in CNS models and therapies.
George J, Hsu CC, Nguyen LTB, Ye H, Cui Z. Biotechnol Adv. 2019 Mar 19.pii: S0734-9750(19)30045-X.
 doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2019.03.009


Engineering a uniaxial substrate-stretching device for simultaneous electrophysiological measurements and imaging of strained peripheral neurons.
Bianchi F, George JH, Malboubi M, Jerusalem A, Thompson MS, Ye H. Med Eng Phys. 2019 May;67:1-10.
 doi: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2019.02.014


Optogenetic control of iPS cell-derived neurons in 2D and 3D culture systems using channelrhodopsin-2 expression driven by the synapsin-1 and calcium-calmodulin kinase II promoters.
Lee SY, George JH, Nagel DA, Ye H, Kueberuwa G, Seymour LW. J Tissue Eng Regen Med. 2019 Mar;13(3):369-384.
 doi: 10.1002/term.2786


A closer look at neuron interaction with track-etched microporous membranes. 

George JH, Nagel D, Waller S, Hill E, Parri HR, Coleman MD, Cui Z, Ye H.  Sci Rep. 2018 Oct 19;8(1):15552.
 doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-33710-6


Rapid and efficient differentiation of functional motor neurons from human iPSC for neural injury modelling. 

Bianchi F, Malboubi M, Li Y, George JH, Jerusalem A, Szele F, Thompson MS, Ye H. Stem Cell Res. 2018 Oct;32:126-134.
 doi: 10.1016/j.scr.2018.09.006


Exploring and engineering the cell surface interface.
Stevens MM, George JH. Science. 2005 Nov 18;310(5751):1135-8.
 doi: 10.1126/science.1106587

Education

PhD
2005 – 2009: Imperial College London - Tissue Engineering 

MSc
2004 – 2005: (Distinction) Imperial College London - Biomedical engineering 

BSc
1996 – 2000: (1st Class Hons) Edinburgh University - Computer Science and AI
Dissertation: Sensor modelling using neural networks. 

A-levels
1988 – 1995: Physics, Design and Technology, Mathematics

About


Following my graduation from Edinburgh University (BSc Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, 1st Class Hons), I worked for a London based full stack web development company (iblocks.co.uk) for four years. This work entailed developing Java/Oracle/XML backends with html/CSS/JavaScript frontends. I specialised in interface design and development and led the front-end graphical design and development.

 

I hold a long term interest in both artificial and biological neural networks, which drew me to study biomedical engineering and then neural tissue engineering. My PDRA position was focused on the culture of human stem cell derived neural networks, both in 2D and 3D constructs (Tissue Engineering Group, University of Oxford). The goal was to build and electrically interact with mini-brains, but this turned out to be beyond our capability at the time.


More recently I have moved back into software development, and I use React, Next.js, Tailwind CSS, Python, and Flask API, hosting on both Google (Firebase) and AWS. I am based in Oxford and I am currently open to opportunities to work on web-facing and machine learning projects, particularly if they are a good fit.


Please contact me at julian@codabulo.com

Why Osmibium? 


I like to write and play with words. Osmibium is a development of the element named Osmium, which is also the densest naturally occurring metal. I used Osmium Tetroxide as a stain for the neural cell cytoskeleton. It increases contrast in SEM cell imaging and allows you to look at how a cell interacts with an engineered surface at the nanometer scale. Osmibium is my own imaginary metal, but in this case stronger than Tungsten, but somehow lighter than Aluminium. Osmibium would be great for building space elevators and growable space habitats.



Why glass pods and trees? 


Within the Codabulo project, users inhabit an imaginary ancient forest. As they increase their user content and influence, they can also optionally increase the size of their dwellings. Ideally, these structures need to be sympathetic to their surroundings within the ancient forest. I like glass pods and towers because they create spaces that maintain a connection between the internal and the external, but users will be free to build using a variety of materials including wood, stone and exotic materials.

All images were created using the Open AI's free DALL-E 3 image generator, using these prompts:


gorgeous futuristic metal and stone tower looking down over a fairytale forest


gorgeous futuristic glass pod tower in a fairytale forest


gorgeous futuristic glass dome habitat in a fairytale forest



Using watercolour and colorized ink and pencil on white backgrounds is another style that I like, as it helps to avoid the uncanny valley of AI generative art:



colorized ink drawing on a white background of a gorgeous futuristic glass pod tower in a fairytale forest


simple watercolour painting on a white background of a gorgeous futuristic glass pod tower in a fairytale forest