Sarah Burne James

Speech and Language Engineer
based in Scotland


About Me

I am a speech and language engineer, with broad experience of the IT industry, from my background as a technology consultant.

Technology is a powerful tool that is rapidly changing our world. I want to use technology to build a future that is inclusive: I am interested in preventing unintentional harms caused by new technologies, and ensuring we consider the needs of a diverse group of users. I am at my best when collaborating with a team, learning new things, and challenging the status quo.

What I Do

Areas of Expertise

Natural Language Processing, Speech Synthesis, Automatic Speech Recognition, Machine Learning, Rapid Prototyping, User Experience, Solution Architecture, Python, Pytorch, NLTK


Natural Languages

English (native), Spanish (fluent), Galician (fluent), French (intermediate), Japanese (intermediate), Welsh (basic)

Where I've been

IBM

Solution architect, prototyper, technical consultant, project leader, mentor, teacher


University of Edinburgh

Distinction in MSc Speech and Language Processing - an intensive interdisciplinary programme combining elements of computer science, linguistics and machine learning. You can read my dissertation on Generalisability in End of Turn prediction here.


University of Oxford

2:1 Honours in Spanish and Linguistics


Spain & Japan

Translating, editing and teaching English in the UK, Spain and Japan

Awards

Outstanding Technical Achievement Award (IBM, Nov 2019)

For my work co-leading a study on Coercive Control Resistant Design, for IBM's Technical Consulting Group. The study produced guidance for technologists on how to avoid contributing to Coercive Control in the products and solutions they build. Full report available on ibm.com or mirrored here.


TechWomen100 Winner (WeAreTechWomen, Dec 2018)

An award highlighting the accolades of up-and-coming inspirational female tech talent, with the aim of creating a new generation of female role models for the industry. More details here.


IBM GBS Top Talent (IBM, Jan 2018)

Identified as "Top Talent" within IBM's consulting organisation, Global Business Services, and selected for the talent development programme.


Rising Star Award (Technology Category) - Shortlisted (WeAreTheCity, May 2017)

The Rising Star awards recognise the achievements of the female talent pipeline and the next generation of future leaders. More details here.

Selected Certifications

Solution Architecture

I hold the IBM Architect Profession Certification (Experienced Level) and am an Open Group Certified Solution Architect


Design Thinking & User Experience

IBM Enterprise Design Thinking Co-creator. Interaction Design Foundation courses on user experience, information visualisation and dashboard design.


See more of my digital credentials here

Where you'll find me after work

Brownies

Leading Brownie meetings, doing anything from sending eggs on sky dives, to singing songs, to going on adventures. I hold the Girlguiding Leadership Qualification.


Swimming

I am a keen swimmer, ideally somewhere cold and wild


Running

On Saturday mornings you will find me at my nearest parkrun, and more importantly stopping afterwards for a coffee and a chat