Curriculum Vitae

I am a population genomicist and computational geneticist with research experience across population genetics, evolutionary genomics, genetic epidemiology, and biomedical genomics.

[Download Full CV]

Current Position

Research Associate Scientist
Center for Genetic Epidemiology
Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

Areas of Expertise

  • Population genomics
  • Computational genomics
  • Local ancestry inference
  • Identity-by-descent and demographic history
  • Genetic epidemiology
  • Variant interpretation
  • Reproducible genomic workflows
  • Large-scale genomic data analysis

Education

09/2009          Ph.D. Science (Population Genetics) – Jadavpur University, India.
05/2004          M.Sc. Biotechnology – Bharathiar University, Tamil Nadu, India.
05/2002          B.Sc. Chemistry – Bharathiar University, Tamil Nadu, India.                                  Fall/2014         Postdoctoral Scholars Teaching Training Program – SUNY Buffalo, USA.

Professional Experience

Keck School of Medicine of USC | Los Angeles, CA | Research Associate Scientist | 10/2024 – Present

  • Pipeline Engineering: Developing and deploying end-to-end reproducible population genetics analysis pipelines using Python, R, and Shell for the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) study.
  • Large-Scale Analysis: Leading the genomic dissection of fine-scale population structure in admixed Native Hawaiian populations, translating raw NGS data into actionable evolutionary insights.

Galatea Bio Inc | Miami Lakes, FL | Computational Biologist II | 02/2024 – 05/2024 (Contract)

  • Infrastructure Development: Engineered an in-house imputation pipeline and downstream analysis workflows for WES and high-density array genotyping data.
  • Machine Learning Integration: Implemented ML algorithms for ancestry and polygenic risk score (PRS) predictions leveraging AWS environment.

Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA | Research Scientist II | 05/2023 – 02/2024 | Affiliate | 02/2024 – 12/2025

  • Biobank-Scale GWAS: Conducted genomic scans of natural selection and GWAS for functional prediction of variants in the MADCaP Consortium dataset.
  • Disease Characterization: Analyzed large-scale datasets to understand the genetic backgrounds of mismatch and diseases of modernity in urbanized African populations.

New York University Abu Dhabi | Abu Dhabi, UAE | Research Scientist | 09/2021 – 04/2023

  • Custom Pipeline Design: Developed scalable population genetics workflows to analyze high-density MEGA array genotype data from understudied Himalayan indigenous populations.
  • Disease Discovery: Characterized genetic histories and adaptation signatures to identify disease-relevant variation in isolated cohorts from Nepal.

Dasman Diabetes Institute | Kuwait | Scientist I | 03/2016 – 08/2021

  • Precision Medicine: Identified population-specific diabetes-associated variants in Kuwaiti cohorts using whole exome sequences and genome-wide genotype data.
  • Leadership: Established statistical genomics consulting services for clinical researchers and led mitochondrial genomics studies of diabetes and related complications.

Variant Bio | Seattle, WA | Scientific Consultant | 07/2020 – 05/2021

  • Strategic Advisory: Provided expert insights and support to shape population-based research programs and recruitment strategies in South Asia.

Selected Awards & Acheivments

  • Gabriel W. Lasker Award | Best original scientific article in Human Biology | 2015
  • SMBE Carer Travel Award | Society for Molecular Biology & Evolution Annual Meeting | 2017
  • Genome Biology and Evolution Journal Article Highlight | 2020
  • Best Poster Award | 23rd ADNET Convention 2023, India | 2023