Snapshot while in the Field.Positions Available!
My lab has openings for computational post-docs and a molecular biology research scientis! Please click here for more information.
The Things I Do
I apply a theoretical and practical understanding of population biology and statistics to contemporary problems in human genetics. My goal with this approach is to uncover how genetic variation contributes to the diverse set of traits evolved over recent human history and to the range of diseases we find today. My research has answered population genetic questions about recent demographic and selective events in human populations, and more recently I have focused on mapping risk alleles for common diseases, particularly type-2 diabetes and heart attack. I have also contributed to novel statistical approaches for population genetic inference and disease mapping studies, as well as leading the development of next generation sequencing and genotypic assay technologies designed to improve characterization of genetic variation in the human genome.
My Roots
Advised by Drs. Jonathan Pritchard and Nancy Cox, in 2006 I received my Ph.D. in Human Genetics at the University of Chicago. As a post-doctoral research fellow from 2006-2009, I worked with Drs. David Altshuler and Mark Daly at the Center of Human Genetics Research at Massachusetts General Hospital. From 2009 until September of 2011, I remained at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT as a Research Scientist. In September of 2011, I joined the faculty ranks of the Departments of Pharmacology and Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor. I am also a member of the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics and the Penn Center for Bioinformatics.
The Serious Business
A current copy of my CV can be found here.