About Me

Hi, I am a Ph.D. candidate in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology program at Iowa State University. My dissertation is focused on the evolution of novel protein-coding genes in humans and is highly cross-disciplinary encompassing the fields of evolutionary biology, statistics, and computer science. I am looking at terabytes of high-quality human RNA-Seq datasets for evidence of the expression of novel genes and transcripts. I am particularly interested in species-specific orphan genes and the evolutionary origins of such genes. Using tissue and tumor-specific data from GTEx and TCGA, the functional roles of these genes could be examined. Some of these novel transcripts or genes might be prognostic markers for different types of tumors. I am also working with single-cell RNA-Seq datasets to find expression of these novel transcripts and genes in a cell-specific manner. My work will significantly improve the present human genome annotation and provide insights into the mechanisms by which new genes arise.

My future research interests are developing machine learning methods and tools for biology and medicine. I am interested in studying population-specific genetics differences and their role in complex human diseases. One of current research project aims to detect genetic factors that can explain the disparity of COVID-19 infection and mortality rate among different populations.

Please read about my current research here.

A list of publications is here.

My Résumé could be found here:

Please find my CV here:

Apart from my research, I like to read (mostly non-fiction, excluding science fiction). I am passionate about music. I am a self-taught musician and spend my Saturday afternoons learning new musical styles, or soloing over my favorite songs, or composing my original music.

News coverage

Interview with the Iowa State University Graduate College

COVID-19 Exceptional effort awards garner 647 nominations

Race-related differences in genetic determinants of COVID-19 severity

COVID-19 And America’s Racial Violence Are Inextricable

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