Join Us
We are a very interdisciplinary group passionate about immunology and computing. We welcome all backgrounds and levels of training.
Graduate Students: Students in our group are typically from bioinformatics and computational biology (BCB) or computer science. I am enthusiastic to recruit students who like biology and computation and are driven by developing methods to understand the immune system. I am also looking to recruit students that want to be part of a team, as our work is very collaborative. If you have questions about whether BCB or computer science is a better fit, I am happy to discuss with you. If you are a BBSP student interested in a rotation, I am typically very happy to discuss, so please feel free to reach out.
Undergraduate Students at UNC : I am enthusiastic to mentor students who are excited about research and have significant time to devote to a project. For our work it is necessary to have a strong coding background and good communication skills.
Other departments: Every situation is unique. Please feel free to contact us if you are passionate about the intersection of immunology, computational biology, and computer science.
Why Should I work in Comp-Bio?: Computational biology is filled with interesting questions that can lead to real-world impact. For example, developed methods can facilitate important diagnostic tests that will enhance the lives or treatments of patients. Biology is also fascinating, and insights revealed through computational experiments can help to inform how a very complex biological process works. Relative to other areas, there are not so many computational biologists! There is a significant need for students who are trained in an interdisciplinary way between computer science and the biological sciences. Finally, there are many jobs in academia and industry, whether that be a startup in the bay area, or a biotech company in Boston (to give a few examples).
Why Computational Immunology? : Immunology is a very complex branch of biology, that current high-throughput techniques are allowing us to study and understand more than ever before. Computational immunology is an exciting niche of computational biology, where there are still many questions to ask and answer! Understanding how the immune system adapts as we age, in trauma, etc. has very important implications in healthcare.