Faculty | UNC BCB

BCB faculty are divided into two categories: Core and Resource. Faculty designated as Core have all the components required to be sole mentors for BCB students, namely they:

Drive their own research program.
Have sufficient expertise in computational approaches to provide computational-oriented mentoring. This can include faculty who develop computational methods but also those who apply existing methods with a high level of expertise.
Have sufficient expertise in biological applications to provide biological applications mentoring.

BCB faculty designated as Resource fulfill some but not all of the above criteria. For example, they may be experts in a computational or biological domain but are not trained in both. Students who choose Resource faculty as mentors are required to have co-mentors to ensure the above criteria are collectively fulfilled. For example, a Resource faculty who is a principal investigator doing mostly wet bench research could co-advise a BCB student with a mentor in computational research (who could themselves could be Core or Resource). This categorization of faculty and rules regarding co-mentoring is to satisfy BCB’s All Bases Covered mentoring requirement.

If you are a faculty member who would like to join BCB, go to Joining the BCB Faculty.

Shawn Ahmed, PhD

Professor of Genetics and Biology

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-843-4780 | Office: 216 Fordham Hall
Email: shawn@med.unc.edu | Website: http://labs.bio.unc.edu/ahmed/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Comparative Genomics and Molecular Evolution, Computational Genomics
Research Interests: We are interested in understanding potential functions of nuclear foci that are composed of telomere binding proteins, whose levels can be altered for several generations by a single gamete. This novel form of epigenetic inheritance may be relevant to roles that telomeres play in human aging, in cancer biology, and potentially to the mysterious relationship of environmental stress with human telomere length. We primarily study the nematode C. elegans but are also in translating our work to human biology. We are broadly interested in creative approaches to study telomere biology, genome silencing, small RNAs and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance.

Tessa Andermann, MD MPH

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-843-0834 | Office: 2341E Medical Biomolecular Research Building
Email: tessa_andermann@med.unc.edu | Website: https://www.med.unc.edu/medicine/infdis/directory/tessa-andermann/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics
Research Interests: As an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at UNC-Chapel Hill, Tessa Andermann, MD, MPH, conducts multi-disciplinary research focused on investigating the impact of the intestinal microbiome on cancer outcomes. Her current projects include: 1) Investigating the role of the gut antimicrobial “resistome” in the development of bloodstream and other infections with multi-drug-resistant organisms in patients with hematologic malignancies, 2) developing microbial predictors of therapeutic efficacy and therapy-related gastrointestinal complications following administration of cellular and other immunotherapies in patients with cancer, and 3) using the intestinal microbiome as a tool to inform antimicrobial stewardship in immunocompromised patients.

Jim Bear, PhD

Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology

Resource Faculty
Phone: (919) 966-5471 | Office: 21-223 Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Email: jbear@email.unc.edu | Website: https://www.med.unc.edu/cellbiophysio/people/primary-faculty/james-bear-phd

Research Areas:
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Kerry Bloom, PhD

Distinguished Professor of Biology

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-962-1182 | Office: 623 Fordham Hall
Email: Kerry_bloom@unc.edu | Website: http://labs.bio.unc.edu/Bloom/

Research Areas: Computational Biophysics, Image Analysis
Research Interests: Chromosome dynamics in living cells

Elizabeth Brunk, PhD

Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Chemistry

Core Faculty
Phone: 510-417-8113 | Office: 3356 Genome Sciences Building
Email: elizabeth_brunk@med.unc.edu | Website: https://brunklab.org/

Research Areas:
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J. Mauro Calabrese, PhD

Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-843-3257 | Office: 4093 Genetic Medicine Building
Email: jmcalabr@med.unc.edu | Website: http://www.med.unc.edu/pharm/calabreselab

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Comparative Genomics and Molecular Evolution, Computational Genomics
Research Interests: Sequence rules to predict long noncoding RNA function, mechanisms of transcriptional regulation by long noncoding RNAs

Charles Carter, PhD

Professor of Biochemistry & Biophysics

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-966-3263 | Office: 3092 Genetic Medicine Bldg
Email: carter@med.unc.edu | Website:

Research Areas:
Research Interests: Protein Crystallography: polymorphism and function

Jeff Dangl, PhD

HHMI Investigator and John N. Couch Professor of Biology

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-962-4469 | Office: 4260 Genome Sciences Bldg.
Email: dangl@email.unc.edu | Website: http://labs.bio.unc.edu/dangl/

Research Areas: Comparative Genomics and Molecular Evolution, Computational Genomics, Computational Systems Biology, Statistical and Populational Genetics
Research Interests: Plant Immune System, Plant Microbiome research

Ian Davis, MD, PhD

G. Denman Hammond Professor of Genetics and Pediatrics

Resource Faculty
Phone: (919) 966-5360 | Office: 21-219 Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Email: ian_davis@med.unc.edu | Website: http://davislab.web.unc.edu/

Research Areas: Computational Genomics, Bioinformatics
Research Interests: Epigenomic and transcriptomic consequences of genetic alterations in cancer and applications to therapeutic discovery.

Henrik G. Dohlman, PhD

Professor of Pharmacology and Biochemistry & Biophysics

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-843-6894 | Office: 3046 Genetic Medicine Bldg.
Email: hdohlman@med.unc.edu | Website: http://www.med.unc.edu/~hdohlman/

Research Areas: Computational Systems Biology
Research Interests: Regulation of G protein signaling

Daniel Dominguez, PhD

Assistant Professor of Pharmacology

Core Faculty
Phone: (919) 966-0131 | Office: 4113 Genetic Medicine Building
Email: didoming@email.unc.edu | Website: https://dominguez-lab.org/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Comparative Genomics and Molecular Evolution, Computational Genomics, Computational Systems Biology
Research Interests: The Dominguez lab studies how gene expression is controlled by proteins that bind RNA. We apply high-throughput biochemical and computational approaches to understand protein-RNA interactions, RNA processing, and gene regulation in normal and disease biology.

Jill Dowen, PhD

Associate Professor of Biochemistry & Biophysics and Biology

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-962-8132 | Office: 3360 Genome Sciences Building
Email: jilldowen@unc.edu | Website: http://jilldowenlab.web.unc.edu/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Chromosome Conformation
Research Interests: Our research program integrates the areas of transcriptional regulation, three-dimensional genome organization and functional genomics to understand how the architecture of the genome influences gene expression during development and disease.

Timothy Elston, PhD

Professor of Pharmacology

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-843-7670 | Office: 4092 Genetic Medicine Bldg.
Email: telston@med.unc.edu | Website: http://www.med.unc.edu/pharm/elstonlab/

Research Areas: Computational Biophysics, Computational Systems Biology, Image Analysis
Research Interests: Mathematical modeling of signaling pathways and regulatory networks

Martin Ferris, PhD

Associate Professor of Genetics

Core Faculty
Phone: (919) 966-4026 | Office: 5081 Genetic Medicine Building
Email: mtferris@email.unc.edu | Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-ferris-63a32634/

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M. Gregory Forest, PhD

Distinguished Professor of Mathematics and Biomedical Engineering

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-962-9606 | Office: 316A Phillips Hall
Email: forest@unc.edu | Website: http://amath.unc.edu/people/m-gregory-greg-forest/

Research Areas:
Research Interests: Mathematical modeling of lung biology and cell mechanics

Hector L Franco, PhD

Assistant Professor of Genetics; UNC Lineberger Cancer Center

Core Faculty
Phone: (919) 966-5269 | Office: 5109 Marsico Hall
Email: hfranco@med.unc.edu | Website: https://www.thefrancolab.org/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Computational Systems Biology
Research Interests: The Franco lab has a long-standing interest in gene regulation, epigenetics, chromatin and RNA biology, especially as it pertains to cancer. We address these research aims by using an interdisciplinary approach that combines molecular and cellular techniques with functional genomic and computational approaches.

Flavio Frohlich, PhD

Professor of Psychiatry, Cell Biology and Physiology, Biomedical Engineering, Neurology

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-966-4584 | Office: 4109F Neurosciences Research Bldg.
Email: flavio_frohlich@med.unc.edu | Website: http://www.frohlichlab.org

Research Areas: Computational Biophysics
Research Interests: Our goal is to revolutionize the treatment of psychiatric and neurological illness by developing novel brain stimulation paradigms. We identify and target network dynamics of physiological and pathological brain function. We combine computational modeling, optogenetics, in vitro and in vivo electrophysiology in animal models and humans, control engineering, and clinical trials. We strive to make our laboratory a productive, collaborative, and happy workplace.

Terry Furey, PhD

Professor of Genetics and Biology

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-966-7033 | Office: 5022 Genetic Medicine Bldg.
Email: tsfurey@email.unc.edu | Website: http://fureylab.web.unc.edu/

Research Areas: Computational Genomics, Computational Systems Biology
Research Interests: The Furey Lab is focused on understanding chromatin structure and gene regulation in normal and diseased cells, primarily through the analysis of data from functional high-throughput sequencing experiments.

Amy Gladfelter, PhD

Professor of Biology

Resource Faculty
Phone: (919) 962-7289 | Office: 516 Fordham Hall
Email: amyglad@unc.edu | Website: http://gladfelterlab.web.unc.edu

Research Areas:
Research Interests: Cell cycle control, cytokinesis, and cell shape determination from fungi to mammals

Shawn Gomez, Eng.Sc.D

Professor of Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State University

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-966-4959 | Office: 144 MacNider Hall
Email: smgomez@unc.edu | Website: http://gomezlab.bme.unc.edu/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Computational Systems Biology, Image Analysis
Research Interests: Systems biology with emphases in cancer and infectious disease

Boyce E. Griffith, PhD

Professor of Mathematics and Biomedical Engineering

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-962-7110 | Office: 306 Phillips Hall
Email: boyceg@email.unc.edu | Website: http://griffith.web.unc.edu

Research Areas: Computational Biophysics
Research Interests: Mathematical modeling and computer simulation in physiology, especially cardiovascular mechanics, fluid dynamics, and fluid-structure interaction and cardiac electrophysiology.

Klaus Hahn, PhD

Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology; Chemical Biology & Medicinal Chemistry

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-843-2775 | Office: 4043 Genetic Medicine Bldg.
Email: khahn@med.unc.edu | Website: http://www.hahnlab.com

Research Areas: Computational Biophysics, Computational Systems Biology, Image Analysis
Research Interests: visualization and control of protein function in living cells and animals, using protein engineering and small molecule synthesis; signaling dynamics; motility, megakaryocyte and immune cell function

Erin Heinzen, PhD

Associate Professor of Genetics; Pharmacotherapy & Experimental Therapeutics

Resource Faculty
Phone: (919) 843-5981 | Office: Kerr Hall
Email: erin-h@ad.unc.edu | Website: https://pharmacy.unc.edu/research/faculty-labs/erin-heinzen/

Research Areas: Computational Genomics
Research Interests: The Heinzen Lab focuses on the genetic and genomic basis of epilepsy disorders, including analyses of the role of germline mutations, somatic mutations, and how regulation of the cellular transcriptome influences the risk and presentation of seizures.

Bradley Hemminger, PhD

Associate Professor of School of Information and Library Science

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-966-2998 | Office: 206A Manning Hall
Email: bmh@ils.unc.edu | Website: http://ils.unc.edu/bmh/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics
Research Interests: Bioinformatics, medical informatics, user interface design

Katherine Hoadley, PhD

Associate Professor of Genetics

Core Faculty
Phone: (919) 962-8416 | Office: 11-212 Mary Ellen Jones Building
Email: hoadley@med.unc.edu | Website: https://unclineberger.org/people/profiles/katherine-hoadley

Research Areas: Computational Genomics, Bioinformatics, Computational Systems Biology
Research Interests: My research interest is in genomic characterization and integrative genomic approaches to better understand cancer. My group is part of the NCI Genome Data Analysis Center focused on RNA expression analysis. We have a number of ongoing projects including developing molecular classifications for potential clinical utility, developing methods for deconvolution to understand bulk tissue heterogeneity, analysis of driver negative cancers, and analysis of ancestry markers with cancer features.

Corbin D. Jones, PhD

Professor of Biology and Genetics

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-962-4443 | Office: 3159 Genome Science Building
Email: cdjones@email.unc.edu | Website: http://bio.unc.edu/people/faculty/cdjones/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Comparative Genomics and Molecular Evolution, Statistical and Populational Genetics
Research Interests: Developing novel computational approaches for comparative analysis of genomics data

Samir Kelada, PhD, MPH

Associate Professor of Genetics

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-962-2148 | Office: 5072 Genetic Medicine Building
Email: samir_kelada@med.unc.edu | Website: https://keladalab.web.unc.edu/

Research Areas: Computational Genomics
Research Interests: genetics and genomics of environmentally-induced airway diseases

Daphne Klotsa, PhD

Associate Professor of Applied Physical Sciences

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-962-6454 | Office: 1114 Murray Hall
Email: dklotsa@email.unc.edu | Website: https://klotsagroup.wixsite.com/home

Research Areas:
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Brian Kuhlman, PhD

Professor of Biochemistry & Biophysics

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-843-0188 | Office: 3096 Genetic Medicine Bldg.
Email: bkuhlman@email.unc.edu | Website: https://sites.google.com/site/kuhlmanlabwebpage/

Research Areas:
Research Interests: Protein Engineering and Design

Alain Laederach, PhD

Professor of Biology

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-962-4565 | Office: 3354 Genome Sciences Bldg.
Email: alain@unc.edu | Website: http://ribosnitch.bio.unc.edu/The_Laederach_Lab/Welcome.html

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics
Research Interests: RNA bioinformatics and transcriptomics

Sam Lai, PhD

Professor of School of Pharmacy

Core Faculty
Phone: (919) 966-3024 | Office:
Email: lai@unc.edu | Website: https://pharmacy.unc.edu/research/faculty-labs/lai-research-group/

Research Areas:
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Wesley R Legant, PhD

Joint Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Pharmacology

Resource Faculty
Phone: (919) 966-4816 | Office: 4047 Genetic Medicine Building
Email: legantw@email.unc.edu | Website: https://www.med.unc.edu/pharm/people/primaryfaculty/wesley-r-legant/wesley-r-legant

Research Areas: Computational Biophysics, Image Analysis
Research Interests: Microscopy, 3D image analysis, biomaterials, cell migration, cancer metastasis, tissue engineering

Karin Leiderman, PhD

Associate Professor of Mathematics

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-962-5962 | Office: Mary Ellen Jones Building 11212A
Email: karinlg@unc.edu | Website: https://sites.google.com/view/leiderman-research-group

Research Areas: Computational Biophysics, Computational Systems Biology
Research Interests: I am a mathematical biologist interested in the biochemical and biophysical aspects of blood clotting and emergent behavior in biological fluid-structure interaction problems. I especially love mathematical modeling, where creativity, biological knowledge, and mathematical insight meet. My research typically includes the integration of mathematical and experimental approaches together with statistical analyses and inference, to determine mechanisms underlying complex biological phenomena.

Yun Li, PhD

Professor of Genetics and Biostatistics

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-843-2832 | Office: 5043 Genetic Medicine Building
Email: yunli@med.unc.edu | Website: https://yunliweb.its.unc.edu

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Statistical and Populational Genetics
Research Interests: The focus of my research is on the development of statistical methods and their application to the genetic dissection of complex diseases and traits.

Xihao Li, PhD

Assistant Professor of Biostatistics & Genetics

Core Faculty
Phone: (919) 843-3656* | Office: 4115D McGavran-Greenberg Hall*
Email: xihaoli@unc.edu | Website: https://xihaoli.org

Research Areas: Bioinformatics; Statistical and Population Genetics
Research Interests: My research interests lie in developing novel statistical methods and computational tools that (1) enable scalable and integrative analysis of large-scale whole-genome/whole-exome sequencing (WGS/WES) data and multi-omics data, (2) empower meta-analysis of large-scale sequencing data of ancestrally-diverse consortiums and biobanks, and (3) prioritize putative causal genetic variants using functional annotation data to better understand the relationships among genomic variation, genome function, and phenotypes.

Sarah Linnstaedt, PhD

Associate Professor of Anesthesiology

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-966-5136 | Office:
Email: sarah_linnstaedt@med.unc.edu | Website: https://www.med.unc.edu/anesthesiology/research/linnstaedt-lab/

Research Areas:
Research Interests:

Yufeng Liu, PhD

Professor of Statistics & Operations Research, Biostatistics, and Genetics

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-962-4475 | Office: 4250 Genome Science Building
Email: yfliu@email.unc.edu | Website: http://www.unc.edu/~yfliu

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Image Analysis, Statistical and Populational Genetics
Research Interests: Statistical Machine Learning and Data Mining; High-dimensional Data Analysis; Nonparametric Statistics and Functional Estimation; Bioinformatics; Cancer Genomics; Medical Imaging Data Analysis

Qingyun Liu, PhD

Assistant Professor of Genetics

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-843-6471 | Office: 5061 Genetic Medicine Building
Email: Qingyun_Liu@med.unc.edu | Website: https://qingyunliulab.com/

Research Areas: Population genomics, Bacterial evolution, Infectious disease, Antibiotic resistance, Pathogenicity
Research Interests: Infectious diseases due to highly pathogenic microbes continue to pose a persistent and evolving threat to humans. The Liu lab studies the evolutionary mechanisms underlying drug resistance and transmissibility in bacterial pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium abscessus, among others.

Michael Love, PhD

Associate Professor of Genetics and Biostatistics

Core Faculty
Phone: (919) 966-7266 | Office: 5009 GMB
Email: milove@email.unc.edu | Website: https://mikelove.github.io

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Statistical and Populational Genetics
Research Interests: The Love lab develops statistical and computational methods for the analysis of high-dimensional genomic data for biomedical and biological research. The Love lab has developed a number of open source software packages for the analysis of genomic datasets in R/Bioconductor.

Amy Shaub Maddox, PhD

Professor of Biology

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-843-3228 | Office: 407 Fordham Hall
Email: asm@unc.edu | Website: http://asmlab.web.unc.edu

Research Areas: Computational Biophysics, Image Analysis
Research Interests: Molecular and mechanical mechanisms of cell shape changes in cell division and development

Paul Maddox, PhD

Associate Professor of Biology

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-843-8637 | Office: 307 Fordham Hall
Email: pmaddox@unc.edu | Website: http://labs.bio.unc.edu/Maddox/Site/Welcome.html

Research Areas:
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Terry Magnuson, PhD

Professor of Genetics

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-843-6475 | Office: 5016 Genetic Medicine Bldg.
Email: trm4@med.unc.edu | Website: http://www.med.unc.edu/genetics/faculty/magnuson

Research Areas:
Research Interests: Mammalian Genetics/Genomics/Development/Mouse Models of Human Disease

Adrian Marchetti, PhD

Associate Professor of Marine Sciences

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-843-3473 | Office: 3202 Venable Hall
Email: amarchet@email.unc.edu | Website: https://marchettilab.web.unc.edu

Research Areas:
Research Interests: Ecophysiology, biogeochemistry and genomics of marine phytoplankton

Steve Marron, PhD

Amos Hawley Distinguished Professor of Statistics & Operations Research

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-962-2188 | Office: 352 Hanes Hall
Email: marron@unc.edu | Website: http://marron.web.unc.edu

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Image Analysis
Research Interests: Statistical research on high dimensional, functional, and object oriented data analysis, and data visualization.

William Marzluff, PhD

Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry & Biophysics

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-962-8920 | Office: 208 Fordham
Email: william_marzluff@med.unc.edu | Website: http://www.unc.edu/depts/marzluff/Marzluff/Home.html

Research Areas:
Research Interests: Regulation of Gene Activity

Daniel J. McKay, PhD

Associate Professor of Biology and Genetics

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-843-2064 | Office: 3358 Genome Sciences Bldg.
Email: dmckay1@email.unc.edu | Website: http://mckaylab.web.unc.edu

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics
Research Interests: Genetic and epigenetic regulation of gene expression during development

Leonard McMillan, PhD

Associate Professor of Computer Science

Core Faculty
Phone: (919) 590-6078 | Office: 316 Sitterson Hall
Email: mcmillan@cs.unc.edu | Website: http://www.csbio.unc.edu/mcmillan/

Research Areas:
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Yinglong Miao, PhD

Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Computational Medicine

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-962-5696 | Office: 11004C Mary Ellen Jones Building
Email: yinglong_miao@med.unc.edu | Website: http://miaolab.org/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Biophysics, Image Analysis
Research Interests: Dr. Miao develops novel theoretical and computational methods and Deep Learning techniques, which speed up molecular simulations by orders of magnitude, and applies these methods for unprecedented simulations of biomolecular dynamics and cellular signaling events. In collaboration with leading experimentalists, the Miao Lab combines complementary simulations and experiments to uncover functional mechanisms and design drugs of important biomolecules, including G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), membrane-embedded proteases, RNA-binding proteins and RNA.

Brian Miller, MD PhD

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Oncology

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-966-7763 | Office: 5202 Marsico Hall
Email: BrianMiller@med.unc.edu | Website: http://www.themillerlab.org/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Systems Biology, Computational Genomics
Research Interests: The Miller lab is working to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy to treat cancer. Using single-cell transcriptomic and epigenetic techniques, along with functional genomic approaches, we want to understand the determinants of immune cell differentiation and function in the tumor microenvironment.

Karen Mohlke, PhD

Professor of Genetics

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-966-2913 | Office: 5096 Genetic Medicine Bldg.
Email: mohlke@med.unc.edu | Website: http://mohlke.web.unc.edu/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Statistical and Population Genetics
Research Interests: Genetic basis of complex metabolic traits

Ehssan Nazockdast, PhD

Assistant Professor of Applied Physical Science

Resource Faculty
Phone: (919) 962-5097 | Office:
Email: ehssan@email.unc.edu | Website: http://nazockdastlab.com/

Research Areas: Computational Biophsyics
Research Interests:

Adam Palmer, PhD

Assistant Professor of Pharmacology

Core Faculty
Phone: (919) 962-5967 | Office: 11-202A Mary Ellen Jones Building
Email: palmer@unc.edu | Website: http://www.med.unc.edu/pharm/directory/adam-palmer-phd/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics and Computational Systems Biology.
Research Interests: We investigate and develop combinations of cancer therapies using experiments, simulations, and computational analysis of clinical data.

Fernando Pardo-Manuel de Villena, PhD

Oliver Smithies Investigator, Professor and Associate Chair of Genetics

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-843-5403 | Office: 5046 Genetic Medicine Bldg.
Email: fernando@med.unc.edu | Website:

Research Areas: Computational Genomics
Research Interests: Our research program lies in the interface between complex traits, evolutionary genetics and computational genomics

Joel Parker, PhD

Adjunct Associate Professor of Genetics

Core Faculty
Phone: (919) 966-9614 | Office: 450 West Drive
Email: parkerjs@email.unc.edu | Website: https://lbc.unc.edu/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics
Research Interests: My research is focused in the methodological development and integrated analysis of high throughput genetic and genomic studies of cancer. Through the Lineberger Bioinformatics Shared Resource, we provide consultation and analytical services primarily for the Cancer Center, but are involved in collaborations across multiple departments and external institutions.

Charles M. Perou, PhD

The May Goldman Shaw Distinguished Professor of Molecular Oncology, of Genetics and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-843-5740 | Office: 5111 Marsico Hall
Email: cperou@med.unc.edu | Website: http://peroulab.med.unc.edu/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Computational Systems Biology
Research Interests: The focus of the Perou Lab is to characterize the biological diversity of human tumors using genomics, genetics, and cell biology, and to then use this information to develop computational predictors of tumor responsiveness and patient outcomes. We use a variety of genomic data types including RNA-seq, DNA exomes/WGS, and DNA copy number data to build these objective models. A major focus of the lab is on novel algorithm development, and the translation of these genomic predictors into clinical assays for use on cancer patients.

Doug Phanstiel, PhD

Assistant Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-843-8847 | Office: 4019 Thurston Bowles Building
Email: douglas_phanstiel@med.unc.edu | Website: http://www.unc.edu/~dphansti/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Computational Systems Biology
Research Interests: We employ experimental and computational approaches to study the mechanisms through which enhancers and three-dimensional chromatin structure regulate gene transcription during cellular differentiation. The goals of our computational work include improved detection and quantification of three-dimensional chromatin structures and new tools for visualizing multi-dimensional genomic data.

Elisa Pieri, PhD

Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-962-1619 | Office: 118 Caudill Labs
Email: elipieri@unc.edu | Website: https://www.pierilab.com/

Research Areas: Computational Biophysics
Research Interests: We seek to understand, predict and tune the events triggered by photon absorption in small biomimetic molecules and proteins, and develop rational design principles to build bio-imaging and optogenetics agents. In particular, we focus on tuning the fluorescence and photochromic properties of molecules and proteins using computational photoreaction discovery techniques.

Jan F. Prins, PhD

Professor of Computer Science

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-590-6213 | Office: FB334 Brooks Computer Science Building
Email: prins@cs.unc.edu | Website: http://www.cs.unc.edu/~prins/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Biophysics, Computational Genomics
Research Interests: RNA sequencing and analysis; Parallel Computing

Jeremy Purvis, PhD

Associate Professor of Genetics

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-962-4923 | Office: 11018C Mary Ellen Jones Building
Email: jeremy_purvis@med.unc.edu | Website: http://genetics.unc.edu/purvislab/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Systems Biology, Image Analysis
Research Interests: Our lab uses computational and experimental approaches to study signaling mechanisms in stem cells and cancer pathways. We are especially interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying “irreversible” cell fate decisions such as apoptosis, senescence, and differentiation. We study the timing and mechanism of these decisions using a combination of time-lapse microscopy and computational modeling. Our ultimate goal is to not only understand how cells make decisions under physiological conditions, but to discover how to manipulate these decisions to treat disease.

Jesse Raab, PhD

Assistant Professor of Genetics

Resource Faculty
Phone: (919) 843-6475 | Office: Genetic Medicine Building
Email: jraab@med.unc.edu | Website: http://raablab.web.unc.edu/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, and Computational Systems Biology.
Research Interests: Regulation and function of altered chromatin remodeling complex activity.

Laura Raffield, PhD

Assistant Professor of Genetics

Core Faculty
Phone: (919) 966-7255 | Office: 5042 Genetic Medicine Building
Email: raffield@email.unc.edu | Website: https://www.med.unc.edu/genetics/directory/laura-raffield-phd/

Research Areas: Computational Genomics, Statistical and Population Genetics
Research Interests: My research program uses human genomics and multi-omics to understand inherited and environmental risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and related quantitative traits, particularly in understudied African American and Hispanic/Latino populations.

Christoph Rau, PhD

Assistant Professor of Computational Medicine

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-962-5641 | Office: 11004B Mary Ellen Jones Building
Email: ChristophRau@unc.edu | Website: https://raulab.web.unc.edu/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Computational Systems Biology, Statistical and Population Genetics
Research Interests: The Rau lab utilizes populations of mice to study the transcriptomic and epigenomic landscape underlying cardiovascular disorders using a combination of wet and dry-lab techniques.

Alexander Rubinsteyn, PhD

Assistant Professor of Genetics

Core Faculty
Phone: TBA | Office: 11202B Mary Ellen Jones Building
Email: alex.rubinsteyn@unc.edu | Website: https://rubinsteyn.web.unc.edu/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Computational Systems Biology
Research Interests: Machine learning for adaptive immunity, immunogenomics, and rapid vaccine design targeting cancer neoantigens and emerging pathogens.

Daniel Schrider, PhD

Assistant Professor of Genetics

Core Faculty
Phone: (919) 843-6475 | Office: 5111 Genetic Medicine Building
Email: dschride@email.unc.edu | Website: https://www.schriderlab.org/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Comparative Genomics and Molecular Evolution, Computational Genomics, Statistical and Population Genetics
Research Interests: We develop and apply computational tools to make inferences about evolution from population genomic datasets. Our research areas include the population genetics of adaptation, genomic copy number variants, and the application of supervised machine learning tools to evolutionary questions.

Shehzad Sheikh, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Genetics and Medicine

Resource Faculty
Phone: (919) 966-0745 | Office: 7320 Medical Biomolecular Research Building
Email: sheisx@med.unc.edu | Website: http://sheikhlab.web.unc.edu/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Computational Systems Biology
Research Interests: We seek to understand how information is encoded and dynamically utilized in immune cells from healthy and disease prone intestines (Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis). We focus specifically on genes that regulate response to the bacteria that normally reside in our intestines. We use genome-sequencing technology to precisely identify regions throughout the genome that are potential ‘on’ or ‘off’ switches for these genes.

Jeremy M. Simon, PhD

Research Associate Professor of Genetics; UNC Neuroscience Center

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-966-4050 | Office: 7018A Mary Ellen Jones Building
Email: jeremy_simon@med.unc.edu | Website: https://www.med.unc.edu/neuroscience/core-facilities/bioinformatics/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics
Research Interests: My research is focused on gene expression and gene regulation in primarily mouse and human models of autism, cancer, and environmental exposures, and across development. Through the UNC Neuroscience Center Bioinformatics Core, we collaborate to provide bioinformatics support for high-throughput sequencing-based experiments such as RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, and other genomic approaches to labs within the Neuroscience Center, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the School of Medicine.

Jack Snoeyink, PhD

Professor of Computer Science

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-590-6069 | Office: 329 Sitterson Hall
Email: snoeyink@cs.unc.edu | Website: http://www.cs.unc.edu/~snoeyink

Research Areas:
Research Interests: Discrete and computational geometry applications to molecular biology

John Sondek, PhD

Professor of Pharmacology, and Biochemistry & Biophysics

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-966-7530 | Office: 4060 Genetic Medicine Bldg.
Email: sondek@med.unc.edu | Website: http://www.med.unc.edu/pharm/sondeklab

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Biophysics, Computational Systems Biology
Research Interests: Signaling networks controlled by GTPases; structural biology; chemical biology; biosensors design and use; cancer therapeutics

Natalie Stanley, PhD

Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-590-6018 | Office: Sitterson Hall and Mary Ellen Jones Building
Email: natalies@cs.unc.edu | Website: https://stanleyn.github.io/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Systems Biology
Research Interests: Our research is focused on computational and systems immunology, with a particular emphasis on developing new algorithms for extracting information from flow and mass cytometry data. We are also interested in multimodal integration of biological and biomedical data.

Jason Stein, PhD

Associate Professor of Genetics

Core Faculty
Phone: (919) 843-5541 | Office: 7202A Mary Ellen Jones Building
Email: jason_stein@med.unc.edu | Website: http://www.steinlab.org/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Computational Systems Biology
Research Interests: The focus of our research is finding and modeling genetic variants influencing human brain structure and function.

Brian Strahl, PhD

Professor and Vice-Chair of Biochemistry & Biophysics

Resource Faculty
Phone: (919) 843-3896 | Office: 3060 Genetic Medicine
Email: brian_strahl@med.unc.edu | Website: http://www.med.unc.edu/~bstrahl/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Biophysics, Computational Genomics
Research Interests: Our lab is interested in the role that histone post-translational modifications have in chromatin biology. Specifically, we are studying how enzymes that ‘write’ and ‘read’ histone modifications contribute to the function of chromatin and DNA-templated functions like gene transcription. To do so, we are employing a range of model organisms (yeast to mammalian cells) and approaches (genomics, genetics, biochemistry, biophysics as well as proteomics) that, together, are elucidating how readers and writer enzymes function to sculpt the chromatin landscape and regulate gene transcription. Students who join our lab would be involved in multiple UNC collaborations (as well as have individual projects) that would provide wide exposure these model systems and techniques.

Alex Tropsha, PhD

K.H. Lee Distinguished Professor of Chemical Biology & Medicinal Chemistry

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-966-2955 | Office: 100K Beard Hall
Email: alex_tropsha@unc.edu | Website: https://pharmacy.unc.edu/Directory/tropsha

Research Areas:
Research Interests: Computational drug discovery; Cheminformatics; Computational geometry of protein structure

William Valdar, PhD

Professor of Genetics

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-843-2833 | Office: 5044 Genetic Medicine Building
Email: william.valdar@unc.edu | Website: http://valdarlab.unc.edu

Research Areas: Computational Genomics, Statistical and Populational Genetics
Research Interests: Quantitative and statistical genetics: modeling the relationship between genes and complex disease in model organisms and humans.

Benjamin Vincent, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-962-8412 | Office: 5206 Marsico Hall
Email: bgvincen@unch.unc.edu | Website:

Research Areas: Computational Immunology, Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Computational Systems Biology
Research Interests: Current research focuses on how immunogenomics features including T cell receptor and B cell receptor repertoire characteristics predict survival and response to immunotherapy in breast cancer, bladder cancer, and acute myeloid leukemia.

Todd Vision, PhD

Associate Professor of Biology and Adjunct Associate Professor of School of Information and Library Science

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-962-4479 | Office: 3155 Genome Sciences Bldg.
Email: tjv@bio.unc.edu | Website: https://visionlab.web.unc.edu/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Comparative Genomics and Molecular Evolution, Computational Genomics, Statistical and Populational Genetics
Research Interests: I am interested in computational, statistical and quantitative approaches to testing ideas about the processes governing the evolution of genetic systems, from changes in gene content to major morphological innovations and other complex traits.

Jeremy Wang, PhD

Assistant Professor of Genetics

Core Faculty
Phone: (919) 886-4006 | Office: 3144 Genome Sciences Building
Email: jeremy_wang@med.unc.edu | Website: http://jwanglab.org/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics
Research Interests: Genomic epidemiology of bacterial and viral pathogens, from E. coli to SARS-CoV-2; Metagenomics of the mucosa-associated gut microbiome; Machine-learning classification of pediatric cancers using nanopore sequencing of full-length transcriptomes.

Cavin Ward-Caviness, PhD

Computational Biologist/Principal Investigator of US EPA

Core Faculty
Phone: (919) 966-5445 | Office: 104 Mason Farm Road
Email: ward-caviness.cavin@epa.gov | Website: https://www.wc-lab.com/

Research Areas: Computational Genomics, Statistical and Population Genetics
Research Interests: My primary research interest is in using large clinical databases to uncover environmental and social health risks. In addition I am interested in furthering the use of machine learning in environmental epidemiology and uncovering molecular biomarkers for environmental health risk and the molecular mechanisms by which environmental exposures are translated into health outcomes.

Kevin M. Weeks, PhD

Kenan Distinguished Professor of Chemistry

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-962-7486 | Office: 3258 Genome Sciences Building
Email: weeks@unc.edu | Website: http://www.chem.unc.edu/rna/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Biophysics, Computational Genomics
Research Interests: Chemical Biology, Structural Biology, and Bioinformatics of the Transcriptome

Hyejung Won, PhD

Assistant Professor of Department of Genetics

Core Faculty
Phone: (919) 966-4069 | Office: 7202B Mary Ellen Jones Building, 116 Manning Dr.
Email: hyejung_won@med.unc.edu | Website: http://www.wonlab.org/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Statistical and Population Genetics
Research Interests: We try to bridge the gap between genetic risk factors for psychiatric illnesses and neurobiological mechanisms by decoding the regulatory relationships in human brain. In particular, we implement Hi-C, a genome-wide chromosome conformation capture technique, to identify the folding principle of the genome in human brain. We then leverage this information to identify the functional impacts of the common variants associated with neuropsychiatric disorders.

Di Wu, PhD

Associate Professor of Periodontics, School of Dentistry; Biostatistics

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-537-3277 | Office: 4504 Koury Oral Health Sciences Building
Email: dwu@unc.edu | Website: http://sph.unc.edu/adv_profile/di-wu-phd/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Computational System Biology, Statistical and Population Genetics
Research Interests: Development of statistical methods for multidimensional genomic data integration to understand the biological mechanism of diseases.

Pew-Thian Yan, PhD

Professor of Radiology

Core Faculty
Phone: (919) 843-8712 | Office: 3117 Bioinformatics Building
Email: ptyap@med.unc.edu | Website: https://www.yaplab.io/

Research Areas: Image Analysis, Bioinformatics, Computational Biophysics, Computational Systems Biology
Research Interests: Image acquisition, reconstruction, quality control, harmonization, processing, and analysis with application to neuroscience.

Anthony Zannas, MD, MSc, PhD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Genetics

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-962-4918 | Office: 438 Taylor Hall
Email: anthony_zannas@med.unc.edu | Website: http://www.zannaslab.org/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Computation Systems Biology.
Research Interests: Our lab seeks to uncover the epigenetic mechanisms linking psychosocial stress with disease risk.

Mark Zylka, PhD

Professor of UNC Neuroscience Center, Dept. of Cell Biology & Physiology

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-966-2540 | Office: 5109 D Neuroscience Research Building
Email: zylka@med.unc.edu | Website: https://www.med.unc.edu/cellbiophysio/faculty/zylka

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Computational Systems Biology, Image Analysis
Research Interests: Use of genome-wide approaches to study transcriptional regulators linked to autism; Use of RNA-seq and targeted sequencing to identify chemical risk factors for brain disorders (autism, brain aging, neurodegeneration, ADHD); Transcriptional mechanisms associated with long genes

Edit log:

2020-06-08 – Restructured description of Core vs Resource and added condition that Core must drive their own research.