Tell us a bit about yourself?
I started in Biology writing computer programs to identify genes in the genome reference for human and other species. This was very fascinating and at the same time, it seemed a very open problem with many questions left to answer. Now we have the technology to obtain the genome sequence for every individual in every species, but we still need the right tools to enable the processing and interpretation of these massive data sets. I am keen to contribute to the development of these tools and to the advancement of our understanding of how life works.
What are your scientific interests?
Understanding how transcriptomes, the set of all RNA molecules expressed in a cell, determine the cell properties in normal and disease conditions. Developing computational tools to measure the transcriptome and characterise its dynamics in any cell type and any organism using sequencing technologies.
Name one tool you can’t do without?
A whiteboard. I like drawing cartoons while I talk about science with people from my group or colleagues. I use diagrams and drawings to plan projects and even to design computational algorithms. I definitely cannot do without a whiteboard.
Which unresolved question would you most like to answer?
Whether we can identify the right variables that we need to measure from any given sample to be able to make decisions that are relevant for health. Such as knowing the prognosis of a tumour, choosing the right treatment, evaluating the healthy state of an individual or an ecosystem, identifying a health risk etc.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
My uncle once told me, “with great power comes …” just kidding. It is difficult to choose one as the best, but it’s certainly the advice from my PhD supervisors that has stayed with me. One of them was, admitting that something doesn’t work and learning to move on. This is one of the things we must often do in science. Another one, equally important, is to put all your enthusiasm in what you do – it doesn’t matter how inconsequential it may seem.
What are your goals for your group?
I would like my group to grow into an enthusiastic team, avid to learn and collaborate with others, and keen to apply computation to relevant problems in biology and health.