About Me

Welcome to my site! I am a Human Genetics PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh. I currently work as a member of Dr. HJ Park’s lab, in which I am focusing on using machine learning and causal inference methods to better understand complex genetic diseases. Specifically, I am developing statistical methods for large-scale databases to better elucidate risk factors for complex disease.

From 2021-2022, I investigated genetic factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility in multiethnic populations as part of my Master’s thesis research. I received my M.S. degree from the University of Washington, Seattle in Genetic Epidemiology in June of 2022. In June of 2020, I received my B.S. in Genetics and Genomics from the University of California, Davis along with a minor in Statistics.

All of my graduate school research experiences have been computationally based; topics relavant to my research include statistical genetics, computational genomics, and deep learning methods. In the summer of 2021, I worked at UCSF with Dr. Lauren Weiss’s group and Dr. Helen Kim’s group on two separate complex genetic disease research projects. With Dr. Weiss, I investigated the hypothesis that maternal asthma can be a predictor of autism in children; I worked on developing polygenic risk scores and using risk scores as a metric for disease prediction and prevention. With Dr. Kim, I investigated the genetic basis of cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs). You can find more information about the scope of these projects and my prior undergraduate research experience in my CV.

Besides my research, my hobbies include covering and writing about the NBA, producing music, playing sports any chance I can get, and working on making the perfect cup of espresso.

If there’s something you want to ask me or if you have any questions about my research/career path, feel free to send me an email at: ads303@pitt.edu.

Thanks for stopping by!