| Name | Role | Time | Prior Institution | Moving Forward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doug Welsch | Bioinformatician | 03/2024-02/2025 | Rice University | |
| Brunno Macedo | Rotation Student | Fall 2024 | Federal Univ. of Pernambuco, Brazil | Matlawska Lab at UAB |
The Research Champions
Dr. Venkata Krishna Chaithanya Manam
Superpower: Bridging artificial intelligence and biological discovery through advanced NLP, LLMs, and machine learning architectures.
Origin Story: Dr. Manam earned his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Purdue University, where his research focused on developing NLP methods to detect and resolve ambiguities in crowdsourcing tasks, thereby improving clarity and the quality of results with minimal effort from requesters. He previously served as an AI & NLP Research Scientist at Reveal AI, where he built systems that transformed unstructured data into actionable insights using LLMs and advanced AI techniques.
Current Quest: Engineering sophisticated data integration strategies that combine multi-modal biological datasets with AI-driven insights. Working to unlock hidden patterns in genomic data that traditional methods miss.
Hero Tools: Python/R ecosystems, LLMs, and natural language processing pipelines, and advanced AI frameworks.
Yassin Mreyoud
Superpower: Transforming chaotic multi-omics data into crystal-clear biological insights.
Origin Story: Previously a bioinformatics Scientist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Now a MSTP MD/PhD student at UAB.
Current Quest: Unraveling the mysteries of immuno-dysregulation by mapping cellular conversations and identifying the communication breakdowns that lead to disease. Bridging the gap between computational discovery and clinical application.
Hero Tools: Multi-omics integration platforms, cell-cell communication algorithms, single-cell analysis pipelines.