Olga Troyanskaya, PhD

Professor, Department of Computer Science and Lewis-Sigler Institute of Integrative Genomics, Princeton University.

Olga is interested in developing methods for better gene expression data processing and algorithms for integrated analysis of biological data from multiple genomic data sets and different types of data sources (e.g. genomic sequences, gene expression, and proteomics data). Her laboratory combines computational methods with an experimental component in a unified effort to develop comprehensive descriptions of genetic systems of cellular controls, including those whose malfunctioning becomes the basis of genetic disorders, such as cancer, and others whose failure might produce developmental defects in model systems. The experimental component of the lab focuses on is S. cerevisiae (baker's yeast).

Hagen Tilgner, PhD

Current: Postdoctoral Fellow, Mike Snyder Lab, Department of Genetics, Stanford University

New (starting April 2016): Assistant Professor, Brain and Mind Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City

RNA molecules can be very long (>10kb for long genes) and >100kb (counting introns) and harbor multiple variable sites along them (TSS, splice sites, polyA-sites, RNA-modifications). The long-term goal of my laboratory is to work out a complete understanding of RNA isoforms (including coordination patterns of variable sites) in development, aging and disease of the central nervous system. To achieve this, we have developed long read RNA sequencing, so that we can monitor all variable sites in each molecule. We are now working to understand the "why" (molecular causes), "where" (cell types), "when" (developmental & disease time points) and "what for" (implications for the proteome) of RNA isoforms.

Simon (Hualin) Xi, PhD

Neuroscience Bioinformatics Lead, Associate Research Fellow, Computational Sciences, Pfizer, Cambridge, MA.

Simon has 15 years of bioinformatics and cheminformatics research experience in both industry and academic settings. He currently leads Pfizer’s neuroscience bioinformatics effort in integrating and mining large-scale genetics, genomics, and proteomics data for target identification, validation, and biomarker discovery for psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. Simon is also a PI in the GTEx consortium and active participant in several genomics consortia including Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, Brainseq consortium. His research interests include developing integrative analysis to characterize human tissue- and cell type-specific gene expression and regulation, study their roles in human diseases, and derive potential therapeutic applications.

Christine Mayr, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Christine's group focuses on molecular biology and studies how the noncoding parts of transcription units (3’UTRs) determine protein function and protein localization.