Laura Helleckes

Laura Helleckes

AI Postdoctoral Research Fellow

I am a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science programme at Imperial College London, where I am dedicated to advancing the industrial production of proteins using Machine Learning techniques. My current research focuses on leveraging large language models and graph neural networks to deepen our understanding of microbial protein production. Prior to this, I pursued my PhD (Dr.-Ing.) at Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany), where my thesis centred on accelerating bioprocess development by integrating laboratory automation with Bayesian statistical modelling. During this time, I developed a keen interest in microbial enzyme secretion, applying Bayesian models and optimisation to enhance industrial protein production processes. This experience inspired me to combine Machine Learning with bioprocess engineering, a pursuit I am continuing in my fellowship at Imperial College. Looking ahead, my research aims to bridge the gap between advanced computational techniques and real-world industrial applications, with a focus on creating more efficient and sustainable bioprocesses.

Interests
  • Bayesian Optimization
  • Large Language Models
  • Hybrid Modelling
  • Statistical Learning
Education
  • PhD (Dr.-Ing.) in Biotechnology, 2020-2024

    Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH / RWTH Aachen University

  • M.Sc. Molecular and Applied Biotechnology, 2017-2019

    RWTH Aachen University

  • B.Sc. Molecular and Applied Biotechnology, 2013-2017

    RWTH Aachen University