Every digital leader believes their work serves a meaningful purpose. For James Fleming, the CIO at the Francis Crick Institute, that mission is central to his daily routine.
“I go to sleep at night thinking that I’m helping cure cancer with computers,” he shares, highlighting the impact of his role. James joined the Crick in October 2018 after 11 years at BT, where he tackled major projects as a designer and technical director, including the UK’s fiber broadband rollout. “That experience gave me a solid understanding of technology. By the end of that project, I was eager for something new,” he recalls. A chance call from a recruiter led him to the Crick, where he’d often walked past, curious about the work inside. He quickly realized it was a remarkable place to be.
His job at the Crick is a complex blend of challenges and rewards. With over 2,000 researchers and students collaborating, they dive deep into understanding biology, from molecular structures to whole organisms. “We examine every facet of human disease,” he explains. While cancer research represents a significant portion—thanks to a third of funding from Cancer Research UK—the scope reaches far beyond that. “This is an environment where a single idea can lead to groundbreaking advancements,” he adds. The intensity of the work fuels his passion, and he thrives on meeting those high expectations.
The Crick started operations in its new facility near King’s Cross in 2017, hosting more than 100 research groups. James emphasizes that the initial phase was anything but ordinary. “We built everything from scratch. We were effectively in startup mode,” he explains.
Then came 2020, and the pandemic shifted priorities dramatically. “We transformed the institute into a Covid-19 testing hub in just nine days,” he recalls. They created a staff testing solution shortly after, essential for genomic analysis efforts across the UK. “The pace was frantic. We worked hard to keep operations running amid those challenges.”
Reflecting on his time at the Crick, he notes how the organization has nearly doubled in size since he joined. Along with that growth came a revolution in scientific practice. “When I started, the Crick was already forward-thinking about data science, investing heavily in high-performance computing,” he says. They recently upgraded to a new generation of this technology. “Now, data science isn’t a side project; it’s part of the essential toolkit for every lab here,” he adds.
When James took on the CIO role in 2021, he merged scientific computing with the broader IT department, a key change that helped shape the tech strategy moving forward. He collaborates with various hardware and software vendors, including Nvidia and Dell. The organization also relies on Snowflake for data management, which has become crucial for trusted research environments that drive transformative studies, from examining long Covid’s effects on rare cancers to investigating coronavirus epidemiology.
“Our collaboration with Snowflake allows researchers to handle sensitive data securely,” he says. The technology enables multiple concurrent projects while maintaining confidentiality. “It’s a core component for clinical research,” he states, noting its importance for connecting datasets from various sources.
Yet, as technology evolves, James acknowledges the rising interest in generative AI. The Crick has incorporated AI and machine learning into its research methodologies, but he emphasizes the need for rigor in scientific processes. “We can’t rely solely on models, especially when dealing with complex biological questions,” he points out. Trusted methods must remain at the forefront.
He shares an example of a significant study connecting air pollutants to lung cancer mechanisms. Now the question is how this knowledge translates to broader populations. “We also have researchers exploring the impact of microplastics on neurodegeneration,” he says, underscoring the need for innovative data integration from environmental sources. James believes future work might involve blending life sciences with traditionally separate environmental science fields.
Looking ahead, James envisions a digital organization that aligns with the Crick’s mission. “Our strategy emphasizes enabling world-class science,” he affirms. As more scientists approach his team with specific challenges, he sees IT as a critical foundation for their discoveries. “Building bridges between hypotheses and solutions is what we do best,” he says, maintaining that the focus must remain on creating dynamic, problem-solving IT capabilities to support groundbreaking research.
