Transitioning from FAIR to AI-Ready Data in the Physical Sciences

This full-day workshop addresses a critical challenge facing physical sciences researchers: bridging the gap between FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles and truly AI-ready datasets. As research teams generate increasingly complex datasets beyond human analytical capacity, machine learning offers powerful solutions — yet many FAIR-compliant datasets remain difficult to use effectively in AI models. ## What You'll Learn Co-created by the Physical Sciences Data Infrastructure (PSDI) and AIchemy Hub, this interactive workshop brings together researchers, data professionals, and infrastructure developers to explore what "AI Ready" truly means in practice. Through invited presentations, participant lightning talks, and collaborative discussion sessions, you'll discover: - Current best practices in AI-ready data preparation and curation - Real-world success stories and challenges from physical sciences research - Practical approaches and tools for evaluating dataset AI readiness - Methods to assess data applicability and reliability for ML model reuse - Strategies for improving dataset quality for machine learning applications ## Who Should Attend This in-person workshop is designed for anyone working at the intersection of data and AI in the physical sciences: - Researchers and research software engineers applying AI/ML to scientific data - Data stewards and research data managers overseeing dataset quality - Infrastructure and platform developers building data systems - Scientists planning for future dataset reusability - Anyone interested in dataset standards and curation methodologies ## Programme Highlights The workshop features invited speakers including Dr Matthew Partridge and Dr Aileen Day from the University of Southampton, alongside Dr Nessa Carson from AstraZeneca. Lightning talk slots allow participants to share their own experiences and challenges, while interactive discussion sessions provide opportunities to collaborate on practical solutions. The event runs from 10:00 to 16:00 at the University of Southampton's Highfield Campus, offering a full day of knowledge exchange in the heart of one of the UK's leading research institutions. Registration is free but closes on 3 July 2026. Whether you're struggling to prepare datasets for machine learning, building infrastructure to support AI-ready data, or simply curious about the future of data reuse i