Research Philosophy
We are a team of interdisciplinary scientists that specializes in data-driven translational genomics. Our lab is a hybrid “wet” (experimental) and “dry” (bioinformatics) team. Our work tends to be interdisciplinary, but each individual project or researcher may focus more on experimental or computational innovation. Our lab does not rely on a model system or a specific experimental setting and instead focuses on data-driven exploration, including the development of new technologies. Though not required, projects tend to fit within a part or all of a general framework with these three tenets:
1. Translational motivation. As our approach can be applied to any organism profiled via DNA sequencing, we focus on questions that may directly impact human health, including stem cell reconstitution, treatment side-effects, or limited therapeutic efficacy of cancer immunotherapies.
2. Massive-scale data analyses. The most appealing part of DNA- and RNA-sequencing technologies, in our view, is that they sample a breadth and depth of nucleic acids from cells or tissues. Rather than quantifying only some genes or proteins, modern genomics technologies enable hypothesis generation and testing simultaneously if handled with appropriate statistical rigor and data science convention. In retrospective analyses, multiple datasets can be combined to structure questions that help mitigate observational biases.
3. Genomics technology development. Data-driven hypotheses can crystalize from reanalyses but often lack definitive evidence. Our prior work has taught us that new technologies are often required to test retrospective findings rigorously or scale up the number of measurements for proper inference. Thus, a major focus of the experimental component of our group is to establish new technologies that, once developed, explain phenomenon in high-dimensional data or enable foundational new directions.
Focus areas
Check out our publications on each of the lab’s major areas of focus:
Funding
We are incredibly grateful to the many generous donors, foundations, and institutes that enable our most ambitious research. Our trainees have an exceptional track record of securing independent funding to support their research in the lab:
- Arthur Chow, Ludwig Center Postdoctoral Scholar Award
- Erica Sun, MSK T32 Investigational Cancer Therapeutics Training Grant
- Laura Kida, Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (BIF) MD Fellowship
- Jacob Gutierrez, GSK Harold Varmus Fellowship
- Austin Varela, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
- Sherry Nyeo, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
The lab’s overall research program is currently supported by the generous contributions from these sources:
