Nektarios (Nek) Valous
computational scientist | journal editor | hobbyist photographer
About
Computational scientist working at the intersections of computational biomedicine – applied mathematics and biosystems engineering – interdisciplinary physics, with experience in AI, image/signal processing, modeling, microscopy, imaging, spectroscopy, complex systems, statistics, and translational immuno-oncology. Background includes cross-functional work across academic, clinical, technical, and editorial settings. Effective programming and analytical foundations, and experience with scientific computing and visualization tools. Strengths in structured problem solving, stakeholder communication, project management and coordination, and hands-on technical implementation. Experienced in connecting questions with appropriate analytical workflows, supporting reproducible and transparent analysis, and translating complex data into outputs that inform research, development, and decision-making.
Information
Till recently at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg (was located at the Center for Quantitative Analysis of Molecular and Cellular Biosystems; Bioquant).
Associate editor of Frontiers in Immunology (Frontiers). Editorial board member of Applied Sciences (MDPI) and AI in Medicine (MDPI). Founding and past executive editor of ImmunoInformatics (Elsevier). Current member of the American Mathematical Society, London Mathematical Society, and IEEE Signal Processing Society.
Check my profile on: LinkedIn, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, ORCID, Scopus, and Web of Science.
Hobbyist photographer, with presence on Facebook and Instagram.
Patent
Method, software module, and integrated circuit for color visualization and separation, United States Patent and Trademark Office, US 11,501,444.
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Technology offer (Universität Heidelberg)
Recent publications
Protocol for natural and biomedical image processing in the hypercomplex domain using the 2D orthogonal planes split, STAR Protocols.
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Harnessing lipid-driven immunometabolic pathways in omental metastases to enhance immunotherapy in patients with ovarian cancer, Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy.
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Computational workflows for natural and biomedical image processing based on hypercomplex algebras, Patterns.
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Commissioned preview paper: Article link · PDF link
Confocal Raman microspectroscopy for spatially resolved tissue characterisation of disease-linked spectra-pathological signatures, Clinical and Translational Medicine.
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Novel computational workflows for natural and biomedical image processing based on hypercomplex algebras, arXiv.
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Python and MATLAB code
Isolation of a tumor neoantigen specific CD8+ TCR from a skin biopsy of a vaccination site, OncoImmunology.
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Supplemental material
Graph machine learning for integrated multi-omics analysis, British Journal of Cancer.
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Guest-editing of special issues/research topics
Multiscale image-molecular integration for interpretable immunotherapy biomarkers: from radiology to spatial omics; Frontiers in Immunology. Open for submission (deadline: 14.05.2027). Link
Digital Pathology and Computational Tissue Phenotyping as Clinical Endpoints in Gastrointestinal Oncology; Discover Oncology. Open for submission (deadline: 29.01.2027). Link
Application of Computer Vision in Biomedicine; Applied Sciences. Open for submission (deadline: 20.09.2026). Link
Deep Learning Applications in Image Analysis; Applied Sciences, 2026. Link
Hypercomplex Signal and Image Processing, Part 1; IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, 41(2), 2024. Issue link · Editorial link
Hypercomplex Signal and Image Processing, Part 2; IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, 41(3), 2024. Issue link · Editorial link
COVID-19 and Computational Immunology; ImmunoInformatics, 2022. Link
Conference session organizer and chair
83rd Heidelberg Grand Rounds (HGR); How tumors are decoded through data: images, molecules, and outcomes in modern oncology; 16 July 2026, 16:00 - 18:00. HGR are a high-level scientific and clinical lecture series, hosted by the National Center for Tumor Diseases Heidelberg, that serves as an interdisciplinary platform where experts present recent breakthroughs in oncology.
7th American Mathematical Society special session on Computational Biomedicine: New Frontiers in Methods and Applications at the Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM) 2026. Previous sessions: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 I and II, 2021, 2020.
Recent conference presentations
Keynote speaker at the Empowering Novel Geometric Algebra for Graphics & Engineering (ENGAGE) 2026 Workshop, under the auspices of Computer Graphics International (CGI) 2026; London, UK (06.07 - 10.07.2026).
Poster presentation at the 22nd European Congress on Digital Pathology 2026 (ECDP2026); Graz, Austria (18.06 - 20.06.2026).