Dan J
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)
Expertise
Genomics, Population Genetics, Evolutionary Biology, Quantitative Genetics, Human Genetics, Human Evolution, Epidemiology
Bio
Evolution has long fascinated me since high school, which ultimately drew me to my current pursuit of a PhD in Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania. In particular, I am interested in how humans have evolved, particularly for complex traits such as height and skin pigmentation. To investigate these types of questions, I have trained in statistics and genomics broadly. I analyze high-dimensional genetic data to understand the evolutionary processes that have shaped human genetic diversity today. Music is a passion for me. My primary instrument is tuba and play in both wind ensemble and orchestra. I also dabble in piano and dizi. I also have composed music for a variety of ensembles.Project ideas
Investigating adaptation in human populations
There are numerous examples and claims about human groups adapting to their environments in the literature. For this project, the student can choose one or a group of adaptive traits of interest and synthesize evidence from the literature to review the field's understanding and explore new avenues of research about the trait(s).
Studying the genetics of complex traits
There is an abundance of genetic and phenotypic data that allows for rich exploration of the connections between genotype and phenotype. Students can apply and learn data analysis skills in R using publicly available data to investigate the genetics underlying a number of complex traits in humans.