Research Associate · University of Galway
Computer Science Researcher
Rana Zeeshan
Technology-Driven Research in Digital Data Collection, Utilisation and Governance.
Research spanning AI and LLMs, speech technologies, data governance, distributed systems, blockchain, digital health and Public and Patient Involvement (PPI).
contact@ranazeeshan.com
Co. Galway, Ireland
AI / LLMs
ASR & Speech-to-Text
Speaker Diarisation
Data Governance
Blockchain
PPI
About
Research profile
I am a Computer Science researcher with experience across digital data collection, utilisation and governance.
My work combines applied AI, LLM/NLP workflows, automatic speech recognition, speech-to-text and speaker diarisation with research on data governance, privacy-aware storage, provenance and distributed systems.
I also work on proof-of-concept software development, digital-health innovation, usability-focused evaluation, research ethics, interdisciplinary collaboration, stakeholder engagement and Public and Patient Involvement (PPI).
Current roleResearch Associate
InstitutionUniversity of Galway
PhD statusViva completed
LocationIreland
University of Galway
Current role & doctoral background
I currently work as a Research Associate within Data2Sustain / European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH), and previously completed doctoral research in Computer Science at the University of Galway.
Research Associate
Data2Sustain / EDIH
PhD in Computer Science
Viva successfully completed
Experience
Professional experience
My recent work has centred on applied research, proof-of-concept development, digital-health innovation, software experimentation and university teaching/support roles.
2026 — Present
Research Associate
Data2Sustain / European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH), Digital Healthcare · University of Galway
- Applied research and proof-of-concept development for an AI-assisted digital-health coaching platform.
- LLM/API-integrated conversational workflows, STT/TTS integration and database-backed session management.
- Prototype testing, usability-oriented evaluation, pseudonymised data handling, human oversight and iterative refinement.
Mar — Apr 2026
Researcher
Data2Sustain / European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH), Digital Healthcare · University of Galway
Technical feasibility assessment and API-integrated PoCs comparing multiple LLM platforms across prompt adherence, conversational quality, safety, latency, cost and STT/TTS integration.
2024 — 2025
Computing Assistant
ISS Service Desk · University of Galway
Technical support for staff and students through a ticketing-system environment.
2022 — 2026
Teaching Assistant
University of Galway
Teaching support in Cybersecurity, Object-Oriented Programming (Java) and Web Programming.
2021 — 2022
Assistant Lecturer
TU Dublin
Teaching support in Dynamic Programming Languages.
Earlier
Research Assistant · Front-End Web Developer · Web Design Trainer
University of Galway · LinksLine IT Solutions / TeleCare IT Solutions · TeleNoc / Knowledge Core Institute
Education
Education
Academic training spanning Computer Science, blockchain-focused postgraduate study and undergraduate computer engineering.
PhD in Computer Science
College of Science and Engineering · University of Galway, Ireland
Thesis: Digital Innovation in Psychiatric Data Handling Practices in Irish Mental Health Services. Viva successfully completed; award subject to minor corrections.MSc Computing (Blockchain)
School of Computing · Dublin City University (DCU), Ireland
BSc Computer Engineering
Engineering Department · COMSATS CIIT, Lahore, Pakistan
Research Interests
Research interests
My research interests span the data lifecycle — from how information is captured and interpreted, to how it is utilised, stored, governed and shaped with stakeholder input.
AI, LLMs & NLP
Structured prompting, information extraction, summarisation, workflow support, conversational AI and API-integrated intelligent systems.
ASR & Speech Technologies
Automatic speech recognition, speech-to-text transcription, speaker diarisation and privacy-aware transcript workflows.
Digital Data Governance
Privacy-aware data handling, provenance, access control, secure workflows, governance and trustworthy data-management architectures.
Distributed Systems & Blockchain
Hyperledger Fabric, hybrid storage, blockchain-based provenance, consensus, distributed trust and secure data architecture.
Digital Health & PoC Development
Technical feasibility, applied prototyping, LLM-enabled workflows, usability-oriented evaluation and digital-health innovation.
PPI & Research Methods
Public and Patient Involvement, interviews, surveys, research ethics, qualitative and quantitative evaluation, reporting and dissemination.
Research Projects
Selected research & technical projects
These projects reflect the breadth of my work across AI, speech technologies, data governance, digital health, blockchain and software evaluation.
Current Applied Research01
AI-Assisted Digital Health Coaching Platform
LLM/API-integrated coaching PoC with structured prompting, speech-to-text/text-to-speech integration, database-backed session management, pseudonymised data handling, human oversight, safety checks and usability-focused refinement.
PhD Research02
ASR, Speech-to-Text & LLM-Based Speaker Diarisation
Evaluation of automatic speech-recognition platforms and text-based LLM speaker diarisation as a privacy-aligned downstream workflow for merged transcripts.
Digital Health / PPI03
Digital Innovation in Psychiatric Data Handling
Research examining requirements, workflows and digital opportunities in psychiatric data handling, incorporating stakeholder perspectives, research ethics and Public and Patient Involvement.
PhD PoC Prototype04
PsyNote Pro
Transcript-to-documentation PoC prototype using LLM-assisted structured prompting and automated information organisation to support digital documentation workflows.
PhD Research05
Blockchain-Enabled Hybrid Storage & Trust Framework
Hyperledger Fabric-based hybrid on/off-chain data-governance model incorporating RBAC/ABAC, AES-256-GCM, RSA-OAEP, provenance controls and consensus refinements.
IEEE Research06
Ethereum Smart-Contract Security Tooling
Technical usability assessment of security-analysis tools for Ethereum-based smart contracts, drawing on blockchain development and security-analysis experience.
Earlier blockchain, security & data projects
Hyperledger-Based Reliable Plot Files’ Allocation Solution
Review of Common Vulnerabilities in Smart Contracts
Application of Blockchain in Reputation Systems
Spotify Dataset-Based Songs Recommender
Blockchain for Data Science — Critical Précis
Ethical Analysis — An Unconventional Phishing Attack
Differential Cryptanalysis of the FEAL-4 Block Cipher
Publications
Selected publications & manuscripts
Pursuit of Digital Innovation in Psychiatric Data Handling Practices in Ireland — A Comprehensive Case Study
Published journal paper · JMIR
Relative applicability of diverse automatic speech recognition platforms for transcription of psychiatric sessions
Published journal paper · IEEE
Beyond ASR: Achieving Privacy-Aligned Low Diarization Error Rates in Psychiatric Transcripts using LLMs
Published conference paper · IEEE
PsyNote Pro: Quantifying LLM-Assisted Workload Optimisation in Irish Psychiatric Care
Submitted journal manuscript · JHIR
Blockchain-Enabled Hybrid Storage and Trust Framework for Secure Psychiatric Data Provenance
Submitted journal manuscript · CMPB
Technical Usability Assessment of Security Analysis Tools for Ethereum-Based Smart Contracts
Published conference paper · IEEE
Research & Technical Toolkit
Selected methods, tools & technologies
AI & Speech
LLMs · NLP · ASR · Speech-to-Text · Speaker Diarisation · Structured Prompting · AI/LLM APIs
Research & PPI
Literature Review · Interviews · Surveys · PPI · Research Ethics · Data Analysis · Technical Reporting
Development
JavaScript · Node.js · HTML · CSS · Bootstrap · MySQL · Web Portals · Admin Dashboards · API Integration
Data Governance & Systems
Hyperledger Fabric · RBAC/ABAC · Hybrid Storage · Data Provenance · AES-256-GCM · RSA-OAEP · Consensus Design
Contact
Rana Zeeshan
Computer Science Researcher · Co. Galway, Ireland