DSI is welcoming seven new PhD students this fall, six from the Center for Computational Molecular Biology (CCMB), and one from the Center for Technological Responsibility, Re-imagination, and Redesign (CNTR).

CCMB

Valeria Añorve-Garibay has a B.S. in Genomic Sciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, where she completed an honors thesis on detecting Neanderthal and Denisovan introgressed genomic segments in Mexican individuals. Following graduation, she worked as a research assistant at Dr. María Ávila-Arcos' research group at the International Laboratory for Human Genome Research. She is interested in understanding the processes that give rise to heritable variation in complex traits. She employs population genetics and computational methods to understand how genetic architecture, temporality and demographic history have shaped the evolution of complex traits. Currently, under the supervision of Dr. Emilia Huerta-Sanchez, Dr. Mashaal Sohail and Dr. V. Diego Ortega del Vecchyo, her research focuses on investigating the contribution of Neanderthal and Denisovan introgression to the heritability of human complex traits in Mexican populations. Google Scholar Profile

Marygrace Cajigan Trousdell is thrilled to return to the Ocean State to pursue graduate studies in Brown University’s CCMB program. She completed her undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Biology at the University of Rhode Island, where she became fascinated with interdisciplinary research. After graduating in 2019, she spent the following four and a half years at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Dr. dos Santos' lab as a bioinformatician. There, she worked alongside graduate students and postdocs to develop, optimize, and implement pipelines for analyzing high-throughput sequencing datasets, focusing on projects that explored normal mammary gland biology and the mechanisms of breast cancer initiation and progression. For her graduate studies, she is particularly interested in applying deep learning methods to revolutionize multi-omics, with a specific focus on single-cell and spatial transcriptomics. In addition to her studies, she intends to engage in community initiatives that get people excited about science and advocate for equity in STEM. In her spare time, you can find her in her art studio, wandering along a coastline, or at home cuddling with her two cats, Carter and Quincy. Google Scholar Profile; ORCID Profile

Sarah Gunasekera has a keen interest in how experimental and computational data can work together to develop more effective therapeutics for improving human health. She previously studied optimization methods in RNA structural models to enhance RNA dynamics in simulations at Stony Brook University, NY, where she earned her undergraduate degree in Biology and Applied Mathematics.

Abby Kuntzleman graduated from Duke University in 2021 with degrees in biology and computer science. She spent two years inspiring a love for science in children as a STEM elementary school teacher before beginning at Brown as an NIH PREP Scholar. She is interested in studying human population and evolutionary genetics and will be rotating with Dr. Emilia Huerta-Sanchez and Dr. Sohini Ramachandran. She is also passionate about science and coding education outreach. Abby has received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) grant.

Ruohan (Roxanne) Wang received her BS in Computer Science from McGill University. She is passionate about harnessing the power of machine learning and deep learning methodologies to tackle the challenges in single-cell genomics and electronic healthcare. Personal Website.

Sosie Yorki is an incoming first year in the CCMB PhD program. She is interested in infectious disease research, especially within marginalized communities. While pursuing her Ph.D., she is eager to apply her science communication skills in the realms of public health and STEM outreach. Previously, she characterized antibiotic resistance in the gut microbiomes of international travelers as a computational associate in the Broad Institute's Bacterial Genomics Group and volunteered regularly with the Broad's Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Allyship. Sosie has been awarded Brown’s Mae Belle Williamson Simmons Fellowship.

CNTR

Karina LaRubbio is an incoming Computer Science PhD student with research interests in immersive environments and privacy. She recently graduated from the University of Florida with an undergraduate degree in computer science. Through undergraduate research experiences in both computer science and psychology, she became fascinated by the implications of emerging technologies on behavior, specifically virtual reality. Her previous work evaluated strategies for protecting users against harassment in virtual environments. Under the supervision of Dr. Diana Freed, she is thrilled to continue working towards more inclusive, useful experiences with technology. Personal Website.