Computational Systems Biology

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

Sarah Linnstaedt, PhD

Associate Professor of Anesthesiology

Resource Faculty
Phone: 919-966-5136 | Office: 120 Taylor Hall
Email: sarah_linnstaedt@med.unc.edu | Website: https://www.med.unc.edu/anesthesiology/research/linnstaedt-lab/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Computational Systems Biology, Statistical and Population Genetics
Research Interests: We are interested in understanding the recovery process following traumatic stress exposures and use large-scale molecular and genetic human cohort data from trauma survivors to better understand risk factors and mechanisms driving adverse outcomes such as chronic pain, posttraumatic stress, and depression.

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.

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.

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.

Jeremy Purvis, PhD

Professor and Associate Chair for Education 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.

Christoph Rau, PhD

Assistant Professor of Genetics & 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.

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.

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 & Genetics

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 & Neuroscience Research Center

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.

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.

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.

Huaxiu Yao, PhD

Assistant Professor of Computer Science & School of Data Science and Society

Resource Faculty
Phone: N/A | Office: 254 Sitterson Hall
Email: huaxiu@cs.unc.edu | Website: https://www.huaxiuyao.io/aiming-lab

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Computational Systems Biology, Image Analysis
Research Interests: My research focuses on building generalizable and well-aligned foundation models (e.g., LLMs, VLMs) with applications in healthcare and medicine.

Pew-Thian Yap, 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.

Tarek Zikry, PhD

Assistant Professor of School of Data Science and Society (Starting July 2025)

Core Faculty
Phone: N/A | Office: ITS Manning School of Data Science and Society
Email: tarek@unc.edu | Website: http://www.zikrylab.com/

Research Areas: Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, Computational Systems Biology, Statistical and Population Genetics
Research Interests: I am interested in the intersection of precision medicine and and data science, specifically topics in dimensionality reduction, single-cell omics, and statistical machine learning across applications in cancer, neuroscience, and public health.

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