FAES Educational Webinar Series: Where Genomes Meet Computers: Explore the World of Computational Genomics

• Virtual

It took over $3 billion and 13 years to sequence the first human genome. Today, we can sequence a genome in a single day for less than $1,000.  That incredible technological advancement has led to the generation of petabases of genomic data every year, equivalent to sequencing millions of human genomes annually.  Computational genomics, the process of analyzing these massive datasets, is the essential link that transforms the flood of raw information into usable insights to address human health challenges, agricultural inefficiencies, wildlife conservation, and more.  In this webinar, we will discuss the breadth of topics under the computational genomics umbrella and how they connect to real-world innovations.  Those interested in learning more should enroll in the course BIOF450 I Concepts and Methods in Computational Genomics running in our summer term from June 11 - July 29, 2025.

Dr. Amanda Kowalczyk holds a PhD in computational biology with a focus in genomics.  She currently operates a statistics consulting firm and is the CEO and co-founder of a genetic engineering biotechnology start-up.  Previously, she led a computational biology team performing genomics analyses focused on de-extincting the woolly mammoth.  Prior to her work in industry, Amanda was a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, where she used evolutionary genomics to study the genetic underpinnings of mammalian traits relevant to human health.  Her work has been published in journals including Science, eLife, Molecular Biology and Evolution, and Bioinformatics and has been cited over 1,300 times. Dr. Kowalczyk is passionate about engaging with and supporting the FAES learners who take the bioinformatics and statistics courses she teaches, BIOF 450, STAT 101, STAT 515.