François Charih 🇨🇦🇺🇦🇵🇸🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
@charih.ca
I use computers to solve problems in biology and health sciences.
He/they/il
FR/EN
📍Ottawa-Gatineau, Canada
https://charih.ca
He/they/il
FR/EN
📍Ottawa-Gatineau, Canada
https://charih.ca
CAQ: Tokébakicitte - t'es chanceux qu'on t'aies donner le PRIVILÈGE de respirer sur notre territoire, fais-que tu laisses le linge qu'on aime pas chez toi, tu pries seul dans ta maison, pis tu ferme ta yeule.
Et on est pas xénos - on est accueillants. 😀
www.journaldemontreal.com/2025/11/24/c...
Et on est pas xénos - on est accueillants. 😀
www.journaldemontreal.com/2025/11/24/c...
«C’est comme ça qu’on vit au Québec»: fini les locaux de prière et le voile intégral dans les cégeps et universités
Legault donne un tour de vis pour renforcer la laïcité, en plus d’interdire les prières de rue et les signes religieux chez les éducatrices de CPE
www.journaldemontreal.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:34 PM
CAQ: Tokébakicitte - t'es chanceux qu'on t'aies donner le PRIVILÈGE de respirer sur notre territoire, fais-que tu laisses le linge qu'on aime pas chez toi, tu pries seul dans ta maison, pis tu ferme ta yeule.
Et on est pas xénos - on est accueillants. 😀
www.journaldemontreal.com/2025/11/24/c...
Et on est pas xénos - on est accueillants. 😀
www.journaldemontreal.com/2025/11/24/c...
Article 9 du projet de loi 1 devrait faire absolument CAPOTER quiconque se soucie des droits des minorités.
Pourquoi est-ce que la CAQ essaie d'imiter l'Alberta de Danielle Smith?
Pourquoi est-ce que la CAQ essaie d'imiter l'Alberta de Danielle Smith?
November 24, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Article 9 du projet de loi 1 devrait faire absolument CAPOTER quiconque se soucie des droits des minorités.
Pourquoi est-ce que la CAQ essaie d'imiter l'Alberta de Danielle Smith?
Pourquoi est-ce que la CAQ essaie d'imiter l'Alberta de Danielle Smith?
I rarely use LLMs, but I vividly remember using Wolfram Alpha to double-check my assignment answers (ODEs/Laplace transforms) in the early 2010s. I learned a lot from it.
There is a place for GenAI in the classroom, but how do we prevent it from hindering critical thinking development?
There is a place for GenAI in the classroom, but how do we prevent it from hindering critical thinking development?
November 15, 2025 at 6:57 PM
I rarely use LLMs, but I vividly remember using Wolfram Alpha to double-check my assignment answers (ODEs/Laplace transforms) in the early 2010s. I learned a lot from it.
There is a place for GenAI in the classroom, but how do we prevent it from hindering critical thinking development?
There is a place for GenAI in the classroom, but how do we prevent it from hindering critical thinking development?
True. Also:
"What is the point of the peer review process if peer reviewer is de facto ChatGPT?"
"What is the point of writing papers in prose if people are going to feed it to ChatGPT to summarize it? Why not store as embeddings?"
"What is the point of take-home assignments?"
"What is the point of the peer review process if peer reviewer is de facto ChatGPT?"
"What is the point of writing papers in prose if people are going to feed it to ChatGPT to summarize it? Why not store as embeddings?"
"What is the point of take-home assignments?"
From my discussions with other faculty, the use of generative AI I hear about the most is writing reference letters.
What's the point of having reference letters anymore if everyone is just having them written by machine?
What's the point of having reference letters anymore if everyone is just having them written by machine?
November 14, 2025 at 7:34 PM
True. Also:
"What is the point of the peer review process if peer reviewer is de facto ChatGPT?"
"What is the point of writing papers in prose if people are going to feed it to ChatGPT to summarize it? Why not store as embeddings?"
"What is the point of take-home assignments?"
"What is the point of the peer review process if peer reviewer is de facto ChatGPT?"
"What is the point of writing papers in prose if people are going to feed it to ChatGPT to summarize it? Why not store as embeddings?"
"What is the point of take-home assignments?"
Misinformationcan have devastating consequences and is going to be challenging to fight off in the era of AI...
November 11, 2025 at 2:19 AM
Misinformationcan have devastating consequences and is going to be challenging to fight off in the era of AI...
This is my cat, Rosalind. I'll let you guess who I named her after.
November 8, 2025 at 7:33 PM
This is my cat, Rosalind. I'll let you guess who I named her after.
Reposted by François Charih 🇨🇦🇺🇦🇵🇸🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
It's irritating that they describe the effects of his racism as limited to causing controversy within science and reputational consequences for himself rather than giving an immeasurable boost, false veneer of legitimacy, and idiot-friendly prestige to modern scientific racism and eugenics.
James D. Watson died on Thursday in East Northport, N.Y., on Long Island. He was 97.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
James Watson, Who Helped Discover the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:42 PM
It's irritating that they describe the effects of his racism as limited to causing controversy within science and reputational consequences for himself rather than giving an immeasurable boost, false veneer of legitimacy, and idiot-friendly prestige to modern scientific racism and eugenics.
Mixed feelings: Though he held & promoted deeply racist views, his contributions to biology have forever changed biology and saved lives.
BTW: his most consequential contribution was made possible by a woman who got a fraction of his recognition: Rosalind Franklin.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
BTW: his most consequential contribution was made possible by a woman who got a fraction of his recognition: Rosalind Franklin.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Mixed feelings: Though he held & promoted deeply racist views, his contributions to biology have forever changed biology and saved lives.
BTW: his most consequential contribution was made possible by a woman who got a fraction of his recognition: Rosalind Franklin.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
BTW: his most consequential contribution was made possible by a woman who got a fraction of his recognition: Rosalind Franklin.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
My colleague Nashira Ridgeway published a paper on the prediction of enzyme substrate specificity in Communications Chemistry. I'm happy to have contributed to this excellent work.
Congrats, Nashira!
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Congrats, Nashira!
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Machine learning-driven prediction of substrates for enzymes introducing or removing protein post-translational modifications - Communications Chemistry
Understanding post-translational modifications (PTMs) is crucial for advancing disease research and cancer therapeutics, yet identifying specific enzyme-induced PTM sites remains challenging. Here, th...
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:55 PM
My colleague Nashira Ridgeway published a paper on the prediction of enzyme substrate specificity in Communications Chemistry. I'm happy to have contributed to this excellent work.
Congrats, Nashira!
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Congrats, Nashira!
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Microsoft Word is a horrible piece of software. Incredibly frustrated with having to use it to collaborate.
October 24, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Microsoft Word is a horrible piece of software. Incredibly frustrated with having to use it to collaborate.
I really, really don't like where we're heading.
Who is going to sound the alarm? 🚨
Who is going to sound the alarm? 🚨
wikipedia's data shows that AI is siphoning traffic away from the site, which is a danger to its sustainability. ironically Wikipedia is more important than ever to users who want reliable information instead of slop, and to AI companies that need it for training data www.404media.co/wikipedia-sa...
Wikipedia Says AI Is Causing a Dangerous Decline in Human Visitors
“With fewer visits to Wikipedia, fewer volunteers may grow and enrich the content, and fewer individual donors may support this work.”
www.404media.co
October 18, 2025 at 3:02 PM
I really, really don't like where we're heading.
Who is going to sound the alarm? 🚨
Who is going to sound the alarm? 🚨
Cette collection de textes est extrêmement intéressante!
Une éventuelle campagne référendaire sur l'indépendance du Québec ne ressemblerait en rien à celles que mes parents et grands-parents ont connu. Les médias sociaux, l'IA, les mèmes - un climat social différent.
Une éventuelle campagne référendaire sur l'indépendance du Québec ne ressemblerait en rien à celles que mes parents et grands-parents ont connu. Les médias sociaux, l'IA, les mèmes - un climat social différent.
October 18, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Cette collection de textes est extrêmement intéressante!
Une éventuelle campagne référendaire sur l'indépendance du Québec ne ressemblerait en rien à celles que mes parents et grands-parents ont connu. Les médias sociaux, l'IA, les mèmes - un climat social différent.
Une éventuelle campagne référendaire sur l'indépendance du Québec ne ressemblerait en rien à celles que mes parents et grands-parents ont connu. Les médias sociaux, l'IA, les mèmes - un climat social différent.
"[T]he problems seems to be not AI but lazy application of it and lack of checks." 🎯
AI is not an problem in and of itself; it's how it's misused. We need to be more careful with AI.
AI is not an problem in and of itself; it's how it's misused. We need to be more careful with AI.
Chemists call for ban on generative AI for chemical structures: "serious errors could damag[e] the next generation of scientists"
As ever, the problem seems to be not AI but lazy application of it and lack of checks. Whether _that_ problem is solvable...
www.chemistryworld.com/news/the-che...
As ever, the problem seems to be not AI but lazy application of it and lack of checks. Whether _that_ problem is solvable...
www.chemistryworld.com/news/the-che...
The chemistry community should ban drawing chemical structures with generative AI, chemists warn
AIs like Microsoft's Copilot, Google's Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT still make serious errors rendering structural formulae
www.chemistryworld.com
October 16, 2025 at 4:37 PM
"[T]he problems seems to be not AI but lazy application of it and lack of checks." 🎯
AI is not an problem in and of itself; it's how it's misused. We need to be more careful with AI.
AI is not an problem in and of itself; it's how it's misused. We need to be more careful with AI.
Reviewing a paper for ICLR 2026...
I'm really impressed with the audacity of the authors who think they can submit what is essentially an AI-generated paper to a top-tier AI conference and think they won't get caught...
I'm really impressed with the audacity of the authors who think they can submit what is essentially an AI-generated paper to a top-tier AI conference and think they won't get caught...
October 15, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Reviewing a paper for ICLR 2026...
I'm really impressed with the audacity of the authors who think they can submit what is essentially an AI-generated paper to a top-tier AI conference and think they won't get caught...
I'm really impressed with the audacity of the authors who think they can submit what is essentially an AI-generated paper to a top-tier AI conference and think they won't get caught...
J'ai hâte de ne plus avoir à toucher un produit Microsoft.
Un problème avec le open source est le retard en fonctionnalités sur les logiciels payants. Plus on va donner de chance à des initiatives open source, plus ils y aura de contributions et plus ils auront la chance de combler l'écart.
Un problème avec le open source est le retard en fonctionnalités sur les logiciels payants. Plus on va donner de chance à des initiatives open source, plus ils y aura de contributions et plus ils auront la chance de combler l'écart.
Un État allemand bannit Microsoft de son administration au profit de l'open source: ✱ Bien joué.
Un État allemand bannit Microsoft de son administration au profit de l'open source
✱ Bien joué.
siecledigital.fr
October 15, 2025 at 8:19 AM
J'ai hâte de ne plus avoir à toucher un produit Microsoft.
Un problème avec le open source est le retard en fonctionnalités sur les logiciels payants. Plus on va donner de chance à des initiatives open source, plus ils y aura de contributions et plus ils auront la chance de combler l'écart.
Un problème avec le open source est le retard en fonctionnalités sur les logiciels payants. Plus on va donner de chance à des initiatives open source, plus ils y aura de contributions et plus ils auront la chance de combler l'écart.
Il y a beaucoup de sensibilisation et d'éducation qui doit se faire au sujet des « chatbots ». L'utilisateur moyen devrait apprécier, au moins de façon abstraite, comment ils fonctionnent.
Je suis sidéré par l'indifférence générale à ce sujet...
youtube.com/watch?v=OZ_Z...
Je suis sidéré par l'indifférence générale à ce sujet...
youtube.com/watch?v=OZ_Z...
ChatGPT et le danger de la « psychose » | Décrypteurs
YouTube video by Radio-Canada Info
youtube.com
October 10, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Il y a beaucoup de sensibilisation et d'éducation qui doit se faire au sujet des « chatbots ». L'utilisateur moyen devrait apprécier, au moins de façon abstraite, comment ils fonctionnent.
Je suis sidéré par l'indifférence générale à ce sujet...
youtube.com/watch?v=OZ_Z...
Je suis sidéré par l'indifférence générale à ce sujet...
youtube.com/watch?v=OZ_Z...
Le principe selon lequel il ne faudrait pas mépriser « ceux qui ne pensent pas comme vous » ne s'applique pas lorsque les pensées remettent en question la légitimité et les droits des personnes vulnérables.
«Nous ne pouvons pas accepter de débattre de la valeur humaine des personnes noires, transgenres ou homosexuelles. Le racisme et le sexisme ne sont pas des points de vue : ce sont des agressions.»
www.lapresse.ca/dialogue/opi...
www.lapresse.ca/dialogue/opi...
Charlie Kirk et l’illusion du débat démocratique
Le professeur Christian Nadeau réagit au Calepin de l’éditeur adjoint du 28 septembre, « L’homme du débat public… ou son fossoyeur ? » 1, qui portait sur les propos de Charlie Kirk, assassiné le mois ...
www.lapresse.ca
October 6, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Le principe selon lequel il ne faudrait pas mépriser « ceux qui ne pensent pas comme vous » ne s'applique pas lorsque les pensées remettent en question la légitimité et les droits des personnes vulnérables.
Enjoying a morning cup in Marrakesh. I've missed that city.
First time in recent memory that I go without the mental burden of a thesis to write and it feels nice!
First time in recent memory that I go without the mental burden of a thesis to write and it feels nice!
October 6, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Enjoying a morning cup in Marrakesh. I've missed that city.
First time in recent memory that I go without the mental burden of a thesis to write and it feels nice!
First time in recent memory that I go without the mental burden of a thesis to write and it feels nice!
Horrific. Simply horrific. This clown is causing so much harm to science. This will hurt humanity for years, if not a decade or more...
Those on an H1B cannot return to the US from tomorrow (Sunday) unless paying $100K. This is an out-of-the blue presidential action. We’ll see software engineers stranded abroad.
One easy to predict outcome: those on US visas will travel less… for work, for conferences etc.
One easy to predict outcome: those on US visas will travel less… for work, for conferences etc.
September 20, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Horrific. Simply horrific. This clown is causing so much harm to science. This will hurt humanity for years, if not a decade or more...
Trump impose des tarifs douaniers de façon injustifiée qui ont des conséquences catastrophiques sur le Canada.
Il s'attend à quoi? Qu'on élève au statut de dieu un « allié » qui nous poignarde dans le dos?
Il s'attend à quoi? Qu'on élève au statut de dieu un « allié » qui nous poignarde dans le dos?
September 18, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Trump impose des tarifs douaniers de façon injustifiée qui ont des conséquences catastrophiques sur le Canada.
Il s'attend à quoi? Qu'on élève au statut de dieu un « allié » qui nous poignarde dans le dos?
Il s'attend à quoi? Qu'on élève au statut de dieu un « allié » qui nous poignarde dans le dos?
Maintenant, je retrouve un peu de temps pour suivre l'actualité. Ceci dit, je me questionne à savoir si c'est une bonne chose... le monde est en feu.
September 18, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Maintenant, je retrouve un peu de temps pour suivre l'actualité. Ceci dit, je me questionne à savoir si c'est une bonne chose... le monde est en feu.
Happy to share that my review on Computational PPI prediction for drug discovery has now been published:
www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14...
www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14...
www.mdpi.com
September 17, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Happy to share that my review on Computational PPI prediction for drug discovery has now been published:
www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14...
www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14...
Superbe chronique de Rima Elkouri.
September 16, 2025 at 2:53 AM
Superbe chronique de Rima Elkouri.
Une grande perte.
Un grand animateur, un amoureux de la culture et un intervieweur hors pair, René Homier-Roy est mort.
ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/218...?
ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/218...?
René Homier-Roy est mort
Le journaliste, animateur et critique, amoureux fou de cinéma et de littérature, a été une figure incontournable du paysage médiatique et culturel québécois.
ici.radio-canada.ca
September 14, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Une grande perte.