INSTITUTE FOR GENOME SCIENCES - Key Persons


Aditi Biswas

Job Titles:
  • Staff Member
Aditi is a graduate student in the Genome Biology track of the Molecular Medicine program. Her academic interests include single-cell and spatial transcriptomics,…

Adonis Dmello

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Analyst II

Akira Watanabe

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Software Engineer II

Alex Casella

Job Titles:
  • in Molecular Medicine, 2017 - 2023 Current

Alexandria Reinhardt

Job Titles:
  • Graduate Student

Amaury Maros

Job Titles:
  • Staff Member

Amol Shetty

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Software Engineer Manager

Amy Wardrett

Job Titles:
  • Research Project Coordinator

Andrew Neuwald

Job Titles:
  • Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Andrey Loginov

Job Titles:
  • IT Data Control Clerk Lead

Ankit Dwivedi

Job Titles:
  • Research Associate

Anup A. Mahurkar - CIO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Information Officer
  • Executive Director of the Informatics Resource Center
  • Executive Director, Bioinformatics Software Engineering
  • Executive Director, Software Engineering and IT, Maryland Genomics
Anup Mahurkar is the Chief Information Officer and the Executive Director of the Informatics Resource Center at IGS. He has extensive experience in the field of genomics and health sciences where he has worked as a researcher, engineer, and manager over the past 30 years.

Bareera Qamar

Job Titles:
  • Staff Member
Bareera completed her Bachelor of Science degree from University of Maryland, College Park in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Neurobiology and Physiology.…

Ben Grissom

Ben is a PhD candidate in the Molecular Medicine program's Genome Biology track. He works with single cell sequencing data and is excited…

Bernadette Hritzo

Job Titles:
  • Graduate Student
  • Student

Bing Guo

Job Titles:
  • Staff Member

Bing Ma

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Professor

Brantley Hall

Job Titles:
  • Areas of Specialty: Gut Health, Metabolomics / Contact

Breanna Shirtliff

Job Titles:
  • Laboratory Research Assistant

Brenda Ali

Job Titles:
  • Faculty Operations Manager

Brian Herb

Job Titles:
  • Research Associate
  • Bioinformatics Software Engineer
Brian is a Research Associate who studies the development, function, and disease etiology of cell types in the brain through novel bioinformatic analyses leveraging massive single-cell genomic datasets. Outside of lab, he loves playing with his two daughters, and exploring the outdoors. Other hobbies include woodworking, gardening, cooking, and playing music, but not at the same time, that would just be dangerous.

Bridget Boswell

Job Titles:
  • Program Management Specialist I

Brock Brethour

Job Titles:
  • Staff Member

Carlo Colantuoni. Bioinformatics

Job Titles:
  • Software Engineer
  • Bioinformatics Software Engineer - Lead

Carrie McCracken

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Analyst I

Chakshu Gandhi

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Software Engineer I

Chamindi Seneviratne

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Professor

Cheryl Williams-Smith

Job Titles:
  • Financial and Budget Analyst, Lead

Christina Barrett

Job Titles:
  • Staff Member

Christina Stennentt

Job Titles:
  • Staff Member

Christopher Bain

Job Titles:
  • Undergraduate Intern ( UMBC, Meyerhoff ), 2020 - 2021

Claire M. Fraser - Founder

Job Titles:
  • Founding Director
  • Scientist
  • Dean E. Albert Reece Endowed Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine / Professor, Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Dr. Fraser is a globally recognized scientist - pioneering the field of microbial genomics and the application of large-scale DNA sequencing and analysis to the study of the microbial world. Dr. Fraser and her colleagues decoded and analyzed genomes of disease-causing bacteria that cause anthrax, Lyme disease, syphilis, tuberculosis, cholera, meningitis, pneumonia, and ulcers.

Claudia Sanchez-Beato Johnson

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Analyst I

Danay Rodriguez

Job Titles:
  • Program Coordinator

Daniel Lesperance

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Analyst I

Daria Gaykalova

Job Titles:
  • Associate Professor

David A. Rasko

Job Titles:
  • Professor, Microbiology & Immunology

David Serre

Job Titles:
  • Professor / Genomics

David Shoemaker

Job Titles:
  • IT User & Support Specialist

Dayna Twele

Job Titles:
  • Financial and Budget Analyst, Lead

Dean E. Albert Reece - Founder

Job Titles:
  • Founding Director
  • Dean E. Albert Reece Endowed Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine / Professor, Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Diego Veliz-Otani

Job Titles:
  • Staff Member

Dr. Julie Dunning Hotopp

Job Titles:
  • Professor, Microbiology & Immunology

Dr. Seth Ament

Job Titles:
  • Principal Investigator
  • Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry

Dustin Olley

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Software Engineer II

Emily Flowers

Job Titles:
  • Graduate Student

Eric Robins

Job Titles:
  • NextGen Sequence Platform Assistant

Erik Anderson

Job Titles:
  • IT Systems Engineer

Erin Wildermuth

Job Titles:
  • Graduate Student
Erin is an MD/PhD student interested in molecular aging and the human brain. When she isn't thinking, writing or reading about human progress…

Evelina Mocci

Job Titles:
  • Research Associate

Franck Dumetz

Job Titles:
  • Research Associate

Heide Aungst

Job Titles:
  • Director, Marketing & Public Relations
  • Media Inquiries

Herve S.G. Tettelin - Chairman

Job Titles:
  • Chairman
  • Professor, Microbiology & Immunology

Hnin Wai (Snow) Lwin

Job Titles:
  • Research Specialist - Lab

Holly Roussey

Job Titles:
  • NextGen Sequence Platform Lead Specialist

Ian Mills

Job Titles:
  • Student

Iqbal Hamza

Job Titles:
  • Professor, Pediatrics, Microbiology and Immunology, Center
Professor, Pediatrics, Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Blood Oxygen Transport and Hemostasis, University of Maryland School of Medicine; Animal and Avian Sciences, Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland College Park

Ivette Santana-Cruz

Job Titles:
  • Senior Bioinformatics Software Engineer

Jacques Ravel

Job Titles:
  • Acting Director
  • Acting Director, Institute for Genome Sciences / Professor, Microbiology and Immunology, University
  • Acting Director, Institute for Genome Sciences / Professor, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine
  • Lead Investigator
Dr. Ravel is a lead investigator on human microbiome studies and has expertise in microbial genomics and microbial forensics. His research focuses on the application of microbial genomics to three main topics: exploring the interaction between the human microbiome and its host, microbial genome sequence comparative analyses and chemical genomics. More information about Dr. Ravel's research can be found at http://www.ravel-lab.net. IGS Acting Director Jacques Ravel, PhD, leads our team of 30 faculty members and seven affiliate faculty whose research spans from basic evolutionary science to human health across the lifespan. Our scientists work in diverse areas, applying genomics and systems biology approaches to better understand health issues in premature infants, women, and transgender people; to improve vaccine development; to study evolutionary biology; and to understand cancer, parasitic, fungal, and infectious diseases, as well as identifying the underpinnings of aging, brain development, addiction, and mental health.

Jain Aluvathingal

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Analyst II

James (Allen) Baron

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Analyst II

James Freeman

Job Titles:
  • Research Administrator
  • Research Support

Jami Kasco

Job Titles:
  • IT Application Analyst Lead

Jane (Michalski) Wilhelm

Job Titles:
  • Lab Manager

Jason W. Sahl

Job Titles:
  • Post Doctoral Fellow

Jeff Shao

Job Titles:
  • Enterprise Technology Architect

Jennifer Emberger

Job Titles:
  • Student

Jennifer French

Job Titles:
  • Staff Member

Jing Han

Job Titles:
  • Graduate Student

Joana Carneiro Da Silva

Job Titles:
  • Associate Director
  • Associate Director, Research, Institute for Genome Sciences / Professor, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine
  • Professor, Microbiology & Immunology

Joanna Carneiro da Silva

Job Titles:
  • Associate Director
  • Associate Director, Research, Institute for Genome Sciences / Professor, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Dr. Carneiro da Silva works to fight against malaria and other infectious diseases with novel analytical approaches. Her lab uses evolutionary genomics to conduct translational studies of infectious diseases, especially those caused by parasites.

Johanna Holm

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Professor

John Bury

Job Titles:
  • Senior Enterprise Technology Architect

Jonathan Crabtree

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Software Engineer - Lead

Jonathan Lim

Job Titles:
  • Microbiome Service Laboratory Analyst

Joseph Receveur

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Analyst I

Joshua D. Orvis

Job Titles:
  • Manager, Bioinformatics Software Engineer

Julia C. Redman

Job Titles:
  • Lab Manager

Justin Taylor

Job Titles:
  • Graduate Student

Karen Clifford

Job Titles:
  • Financial Support
  • IT Analyst, Applications Lead

Karen Graf

Job Titles:
  • Lead Research Specialist

Kathy O'Keefe

Job Titles:
  • Director, Contracts & Grants

Kemi Ifeonu

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Analyst Senior

Kevin Hackbarth

Job Titles:
  • Student

Kevin Regan

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Analyst I

Kranthi Vavikolanu

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Analyst, Senior

Kristen Hinton

Job Titles:
  • Financial and Budget Analyst

Lance Nickel

Job Titles:
  • Web Developer

Lanie Wallace

Job Titles:
  • Graduate Student

Lauren Hittle

Job Titles:
  • Graduate Student

Li Fu

Job Titles:
  • Lead Research Specialist

Lindsay Rutt

Job Titles:
  • Laboratory Research Manager

Lisa Bilski

Job Titles:
  • Senior Research Project Coordinator

Lisa DeShong Sadzewicz

Job Titles:
  • Executive Director, Administrative, Maryland Genomics
  • Executive Director, GRC Administration

Lorelie Soriano

Job Titles:
  • Research Assistant

Luke Tallon

Job Titles:
  • Associate Director
  • Center Director
  • Associate Director, Core Services, Institute for Genome Sciences / Senior Executive Director, Maryland Genomics
  • Senior Executive Director, Maryland Genomics
  • Senior Executive Director, Maryland Genomics / Associate Director, Core Services
  • Senior Executive Scientific Director, Maryland Genomics Associate Director of Core Services
Luke Tallon is a molecular biologist and bioinformatician with expertise in genomic technologies who oversees operations at Maryland Genomics.

Lynn Schriml

Job Titles:
  • Associate Professor, Epidemiology & Public Health

Madeleine Ndahayo

Job Titles:
  • Graduate Student

Madeline Alizadeh

Job Titles:
  • Staff Member

Mahashweta Basu

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Analyst II

Marcia Cortes-Gutierrez

Job Titles:
  • Laboratory Manager
  • Home Laboratory Research Manager
  • Laboratory Research Manager

Melanie Quain

Job Titles:
  • Laboratory Research Specialist, Lead

Michael France

Job Titles:
  • Research Associate

Michael Schor

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Software Engineer, Lead

Michael Sikorski

Job Titles:
  • Graduate Student

Michelle Gwinn-Giglio

Job Titles:
  • Associate Director
  • Center Director
  • Associate Director of Education and Outreach, Institute for Genome Sciences / Associate Director for Analysis, Informatics Resource Center, Institute for Genome Sciences
  • Associate Professor, Medicine, Associate Director, Analysis
Dr. Giglio handles education and outreach within IGS, including graduate courses, internships, and workshops that provide training in multiple areas of omics and bioinformatics. She also manages bioinformatics analysts, as well as developing application standards for data and metadata.

Michelle Shardell

Job Titles:
  • Professor

Mike Humphrys

Job Titles:
  • Center Director
  • Executive Director, GRC Technical
  • Executive Director, Technical, Maryland Genomics

Mr. Ben Sparklin

Job Titles:
  • Research Assistant

Mr. Chris Holt

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Group
  • Graduate Student, GPILS Molecular Medicine
  • Student

Mr. David Riley

Job Titles:
  • Software Engineer

Mr. John Mattick

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Group
  • Graduate Student, GPILS Molecular Medicine

Mr. Mark Gasser

Job Titles:
  • Research Specialist

Mr. Nikhil Kumar

Job Titles:
  • Lab Manager

Ms. Athena Ellis

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Group
  • Graduate Student, GPILS Molecular Microbiology and Immunology

Ms. Christina Pyle

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Group
  • Faculty Assistant

Ms. Karen Olarte

Job Titles:
  • Research Assistant
  • Undergraduate Student at Baltimore City Community College

Ms. Katie Anderson

Job Titles:
  • High School Student at Atholton High School, Columbia

Ms. Kaylee Watson

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Group
  • Graduate Student
  • Graduate Student, GPILS Molecular Medcine

Ms. Robin Bromley

Job Titles:
  • Laboratory Supervisor
  • Member of the Group
  • Lab Research Supervisor

Nastaran (Nora) Badrzadeh

Job Titles:
  • General Associate

Naushaba Hasin

Job Titles:
  • Postdoctoral Fellow

Owen R. White

Job Titles:
  • Associate Director
  • Center Director
  • Associate Director, Research Collaboration and Development, Institute for Genome Sciences / Professor, Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine
A critical product of Dr. White's research is to engage other researchers in large-scale interoperation, for annotation, ontology development and data sharing. NIH has selected Dr. White as the lead scientist for the Human Microbiome Project's central data repository or the Data Analysis and Coordination Center (known as the HMP DACC).

Paul Griffey

Job Titles:
  • Manager, Research Quality Improvement & Compliance

Pawel M. Gajer

Job Titles:
  • Research Associate, Microbiology & Immunology

Ramaswamy Iyer

Job Titles:
  • Associate Director
  • Associate Director, Translational Clinical Genomics, Institute for Genome Sciences / Executive Director, Clinical Genomics, Maryland Genomics
  • Associate Professor, Medicine Executive Director, Clinical Genomics Lab

Rebecca Brotman

Job Titles:
  • Professor, Epidemiology & Public Health

Rediet Oshone

Job Titles:
  • Postdoctoral Fellow

Riham Keryakos

Job Titles:
  • Assistant to the Institute Director

Riva Yevdayev - CHRO

Job Titles:
  • Director, Human Resources

Robert Carter

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Software Engineer - Lead

Roland Laboulaye

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Software Engineer II

Ronna Hertzano

Job Titles:
  • Professor

Rosita Asawa

Job Titles:
  • Staff Member

Ryan Scalsky

Job Titles:
  • Staff Member

Samaneh Ali

Job Titles:
  • Laboratory Res Technician
  • Undergraduate Intern ( UMBC, Meyerhoff, U - RISE ), 2020 - 2022 Current

Sandy Ott

Job Titles:
  • Program Manager, GRC

Scott Devine

Job Titles:
  • Associate Professor, Medicine ( Endocrinology )

Shaun Adkins

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Software Engineer II

Shay Roemmich

Job Titles:
  • Administrator, Research

Sierra Spindler

Job Titles:
  • Laboratory Research Specialist

Silvia Grant

Job Titles:
  • Laboratory Research Supervisor

Simy Buckwold

Job Titles:
  • General Associate

Sofia Novacic

Job Titles:
  • Laboratory Assistant

Stacy Holton

Job Titles:
  • Senior Accountant

Sterling Arjona

Job Titles:
  • Postdoctoral Fellow
Sterling is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Seth Ament's lab. She is currently studying the role of SETD1A mutations in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia focusing on the early stages of neurodevelopment. She uses ChIP-seq and RIME techniques to explore binding partners and target genes of SETD1A to elucidate the mechanisms of this interesting gene in psychosis. Her other scientific interests include the mechanisms and pathways of neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration and how environmental factors (e.g., viral infections, pollutants) affect these key phenomena. She also currently hold the position of Volunteer Coordinator for the Baltimore Underground Science Space (BUGSS), a community non-profit public laboratory offering classes, seminars, and lab access so that anyone can safely and affordably investigate the living world. Outside of the lab, Sterling fosters dogs, runs marathons, and spends most days cuddling with her dog and enjoying life with her partner in Baltimore.

Susan Dorsey

Job Titles:
  • Associate Professor
Areas of Specialty: Genetic and genomic alterations; neuromuscular performance and chronic pain plasticity.

Suvarna Nadendla

Job Titles:
  • Lead Bioinformatics Analyst

Taylor Richter

Job Titles:
  • Post Doctoral Fellow

Theresa Hodges

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Analyst II

Tiffany Stevenson-Yuen

Job Titles:
  • NextGen Sequencing Platform Specialist

Timothy O'Connor

Job Titles:
  • Associate Professor, Department of Medicine

Tina Ruskey

Job Titles:
  • Center Director
  • Institute Administrator

Tracy H. Hazen

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Professor
  • Research Associate

Victor Borda Pua

Job Titles:
  • Research Associate

Victor Felix

Job Titles:
  • Director, Bioinformatics Software Engineering

Vincent Bruno

Job Titles:
  • Associate Professor, Microbiology & Immunology

Vonetta Edwards

Job Titles:
  • Research Associate

W. Florian Fricke

Job Titles:
  • Professor, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Areas of Specialty: Human microbiome, strain-level microbiota dynamics, microbial genomics, applied bioinformatics

Wei Wei

Job Titles:
  • IT Data Entry

William Scerbo

Job Titles:
  • Web Developer

Yang Song

Job Titles:
  • Bioinformatics Software Engineer, Senior

Yumna Ahmed

Job Titles:
  • Research Fellow
Yumna is a research fellow in the Ament lab exploring the clinical effects of SETD1A in the Old Order Amish population. She's interested in the genetics behind developmental disorders and the various presentations of mood disorders. In her free time you'll find Yumna hiking, reading, playing video games, and chilling with her cat.

Zoey Nichols

Job Titles:
  • Lab Research Assistant