Computational Genomics

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.

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:
Research Interests:

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Anthony Zannas, MD, MSc, PhD

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Genetics

Resource 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