DC-RSG logo ISCB DC Regional Student Group (RSG)

President: Keith Hughitt (UMD)

Keith Hughitt

Graduate researcher at the University of Maryland, College Park, working in the lab of Najib El-Sayed. Research interests include co-expression and network analysis of dual-species transcriptomics datasets, network parameter optimization, and gene regulatory element prediction. Passionate about open and reproducible research methods and efficient software engineering approaches for the sciences.

 

 

Vice President: Mahfuza Sharmin (UMD)

Mahfuza Sharmin

Computer Science PhD student at the University of Maryland, College Park, working in Hannenhalli lab and HCBravo lab. She is interested in transcriptional regulation, Machine learning, Deep learning, and multi-omics data translation. Outside school, she enjoys learning foreign languages, painting, and reading about psychology and diversity.

 

 

Secretary: Eli Draizen (NIH)

Eli Draizen

PhD Student from the Bay Area, working in the labs of Phil Bourne (NCBI/UVA) and Mike Grigg (NIAID) through the BU-NIH GPP. Eli is interested in the structural and evolutionary view of pathogen invasion in Apicomplexan parasites (e.g. Malaria and Toxoplasmosis). When he is not doing science, you can find him rock climbing or playing drums with his band Dothraki Deception.

 

 

Treasurer: Victoria Cepeda-Espinoza (UMD)

Victoria Cepeda

Computer Science PhD student at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is working at the Pop Lab at the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. Her current research focus is developing algorithms for assembling and comparing large, complex single genome and metagenomic assemblies. She is also interested in diversity and inclusion in STEM, especially in Latin America.

 

 

Institutional Representative: Jonathan Goodson (UMD)

Jonathan Goodson

PhD student working with Wade Winkler at the University of Maryland. Jonathan uses a blend of genetics/molecular biology and bioinformatics to discover and better understand novel gene regulatory mechanisms in prokaryotes. Jonathan spends a most of his time outside of research outside playing with his incredibly cute doggo.

 

 

Institutional Representative: Michael Chambers (NIH)

Michael Chambers

Born and raised in northwest Ohio, followed love out to D.C., and fell into vaccine research with the National Institutes of Health. My scientific interests revolve around immunology and de novo protein design, I’m currently examining human responses to sub-dominate hemaglutinin subtypes to inform the design of a universal influenza vaccine. I also enjoy backpacking, ceramics, and pancakes.