US-Sweden Clinical Bioinformatics Research Training Program

Taylor Brown, University of San Diego

Hej! My name is Taylor Brown and I will be a 4th year in the fall.  My major is Industrial and Systems Engineering. What interests me the most about bioinformatics is the ability to unlock information that could potentially save or improve lives. I believe that bioinformatics is the key to future advancements in healthcare. So, I am excited to get experience in this field. I look forward to working with my host lab researching aneurysms and non-coding RNA. I hope to leave Sweden inspired, cultured, and excited about my future.

Zubair Lakhia, Chapman University

Hi! I’m Zubair and I’m a 3rd year Molecular Biology major with two minors in data science and neuroscience at Chapman University. I am most interested in being able to manipulate, visualize and analyze genomic data to solve various biological problems and to understand the mechanisms of different diseases. I believe bioinformatics can innovate the forefront of healthcare, drug discovery, forensic analysis and several other fields. With my host lab, I am looking forward to develop bioinformatics pipelines and incorporate them with different types of omics data to be able to learn more about complex diseases, like  obesity and certain types of cancer. I am most excited to explore and learn about Swedish culture, and immerse myself into another country’s line of research. 

Eleanor Mackey, Pomona College

Hello! My name is Eleanor Mackey, a rising senior at Pomona College and a molecular biology major. I'm really interested in bioinformatics because of how interdisciplinary the field is. Through the use of computer science and statistics we are able to analyze large biological data sets. So much knowledge can be gained from these analyses and there are numerous applications for bioinformatics. I'm looking forward to working with my host lab and learning the pipelines used to study the spatial arrangement of chromosomes and individual gene loci in the nucleus. I hope to leave Sweden with a better understanding of the computer programming and statistics that are required for these detailed analyses. I also hope to apply all that I learn from working in an international lab to whatever my future holds!

David Sanchez, California State University - Los Angeles

My name is David Sanchez, Senior at Cal State LA majoring in Computer Science. What fascinates me about bioinformatics is the processes of data analysis and data visualization. We can’t see what is happening at the molecular level, but with the right technique and computational power, we can understand  what is happening. In this program, I am looking forward to understanding how gene mutations occur at the DNA level. Understanding why and when mutations occur could be key in fighting against known and unknown diseases. I hope to leave Sweden with a clear picture of how computer power impacts the discovery of genome interactions.  

Nicolas J. Stefanelli, University of San Diego

Hi! I'm Nick! and I am a senior at University of San Diego. I am interested in exploring deeper into the practical applications of Bioinformatics.  While pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, I have enjoyed learning about the analytical power of algorithms and software to manipulate and analyze large amounts of data. This summer, I will be utilizing some of this power, working to analyze and identify gene and enhancer expression. 

Lauren Washington, University of San Diego

Hello! My name is Lauren Washington and I am Senior at the University of San Diego studying Industrial and Systems Engineering. What attracts me to bioinformatics is it's ability for customization therapy and personalized cancer treatments. I want to pursue bioinformatics because of it's ability to help people and be a part of this growing field. It's potential of curing cancers, minimizing and understanding diseases, and creating vaccines and therapy treatment is what's exciting and interesting about the field. I believe this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be able to travel to a country that is so committed to the advancement of science and technology, while being surrounded by environmental and sustainable practices. I'm excited to absorb as much information and experience as possible and learn from some of the world's best scientists. I look forward to embracing Sweden's sustainable living, environmental beauties, and unique culture.