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Research Area: Computational Genomics

Doug Phanstiel, PhD

February 9, 2018

Doug Phanstiel, PhD

Assistant Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology

Resource 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.

Jill Dowen

November 28, 2017

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.

Joel Parker

March 31, 2017

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.

Di Wu

November 17, 2016

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.

Benjamin Vincent, MD

March 31, 2016

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.

Jason Stein, PhD

March 17, 2016

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.

Kirk Wilhelmsen

July 21, 2015

Kirk Wilhelmsen, PhD

Adjunct Professor of Genetics and Neurology

Core Faculty
Phone: 919-966-1373 | Office: 5093 Genetic Medicine Bldg.
Email: kirk_wilhelmsen@med.unc.edu | Website: http://kirkwilhelmsen.web.unc.edu/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics; Comparative Genomics & Molecular Evolution; Computational Genomics; Statistical & Population Genetics
Research Interests: Dr Wilhelmsen leads a lab group in the Dept. of Genetics and a Computational Group at RENCI (www.renci.org). The labs groups effort in human genetics is focused on behavior and neurodegeneration by annotation of the human genome using data intensive strategies. The lab group has developed several new analytic techniques. The lab is intensively engaged in the development of molecular techniques to study epigenetic phenomena and gene expression in complex populations of cells. The RENCI bioinformatics groups provide data intensive informatics approaches to support multidisciplinary research projects at the three triangle campuses. The current focus of this activity is to support genomics research. The group develops and maintains pipelines to support medical genomics analysis.

Todd Vision, PhD

July 20, 2015

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.

Jan F. Prins, PhD

July 13, 2015

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

Mark Zylka, PhD

July 8, 2015

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