Kevin completed his Ph.D. thesis under the guidance of Professor Bernhard Palsson, and his thesis title is: "Unraveling the sensory systems of cells and regulation of gene expression: characterization, dissemination, and evolution of iModulons." 

Dr. Palsson has been an incredible mentor and PI. When I first heard him speak in class, I remember being so awestruck and inspired -- he can really make you feel as though now is the perfect moment to be doing bioengineering, and that you can make a real impact. He gave me the support and opportunities I needed without ever being overbearing, which allowed me to be really successful. One of his greatest strengths is the way he gives positive feedback, which encouraged me to keep going the extra mile. He has been instrumental in my career development, and I couldn't be more grateful.

Completing a PhD is a journey, but Kevin Rychel’s final year of his degree was more difficult than for most. Over the last year, Rychel suffered the loss of four important people in his life: his high school best friend, his grandmother, his father-in-law, and another close friend. Rychel attended his father-in-law’s funeral a week before his dissertation defense; after leaving his defense, he went straight to a memorial for his friend. 

“No matter what you achieve, you don’t really grow up until you experience grief,” Rychel explained, adding that the support of his family, friends and labmates kept him going even through difficult times. “I wish that all the people I love could be here to celebrate with me; I dedicated my dissertation to the four people I lost this year.”

Rychel credits his first PhD mentor, Anand Sastry, with much of his success; Sastry developed the technology on which Rychel based his dissertation and provided countless hours of feedback and training. Rychel is now the leader of the Genome Analytics subgroup, a collaboration between the Systems Biology Research Group under UC San Diego bioengineering professor Bernard Palsson and the Center for Biosustainability at Denmark Technical University. There, he works with people from both universities on projects dedicated to enhancing science and fighting climate change and has traveled to Denmark twice to present his group’s research. 

“I feel very proud because I achieved a lot here, including over a dozen publications, becoming a leader in my lab and traveling the world to discuss my research,” Rychel said. “I’m also very excited to move onto my next chapter where I can work more on applying what I’ve learned to more directly improve lives.” 

Soon, Rychel will be starting a position as a Genomics Data Scientist at a biotech company, where he will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to track and analyze infectious diseases in order to protect public health. He also plans to get married this year.

Read more about Kevin Rychel's academic journey.