Fabian O
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at Stanford University
Expertise
Molecular biology, microbiology, programming, data science
Bio
Hello! My name is Fabian Ortega. I was originally trained as an experimental biologist but now focus on computational biology and data science. I received my PhD from Stanford studying bacterial spread using simulations. I am now a Senior Data Scientist performing data analysis to help launch a sequencing-based assay for cancer diagnostics to market. I am excited to work with students who have a passion for both biology and computer science.Project ideas
Project 1
In this project, students will explore the dynamics of COVID-19 spread in the population via stochastic simulations. Students will learn: (1) biological principles of virology, (2) basic Python or MATLAB programming, (3) how to code simulations, (4) how to craft a scientific report or presentation. Students will have the freedom to explore what aspects of viral spread to focus on, e.g. virulence, replication rate, degree of social distancing, etc. In the end, the simulations will show us which factors affect the shape of "the curve."
Project 2
This traditional data science project will begin by performing general exploratory analyses of COVID-19 open source datasets. Together, student and I will come up with questions that can be answered with the data at hand, for example: "what are the most important risk factors associated with COVID-19 infection?" This open-ended project will also culminate in writing a report and/or crafting a scientific presentation.
Coding skills
Python, R, MATLABLanguages I know
Spanish, FrenchTeaching experience
I have seven years of experience tutoring high school biology and chemistry. In addition, I have mentored and taught graduate students in both a laboratory setting and the classroom. Therefore, I have first-hand experience in helping budding hard-working scientists in completing research projects.Credentials
Work experience
Education
Reviews
"Throughout my Polygence experience, I have had an amazing time working with Fabian! He was very flexible throughout the project, giving me the freedom to find an interesting project to research and model. Moreover, he provided the structure and support to allow me to work through and complete a successful project. Fabian's balance of flexibility with structure allowed me to become experienced modelling a random walk pattern, learning to write by telling a story, and analyzing data thoroughly. Ultimately, following this experience, I feel much more in touch with the research and work which I always aspired to, and I am looking forward to continuing my research experience in the future. Working with Fabian was both fun and insightful; he was an excellent mentor, and I was always looking forward to meeting with him and talking about our next step in the work. It was definitely a worthwhile experience, and I am very thankful for Fabian's wonderful guidance."
"The entire Polygence experience for the past 2 months has been immensely fun and educational at the same time. Fabian gave me so much freedom and encouragement to make this project my own, so that the research that I do is interesting to me. In the span of 10 weeks, Fabian has given me such a diverse set of skills including coding style, python, statistics, data analysis, stochastic simulations, researching scientific journals, communication skills and writing style, all of which are invaluably useful for a scientist out in the real world. He has allowed me to create a project that I am proud of and gives me a feeling of being a part of the scientific community. I'm so grateful towards Fabian for being an encouraging mentor and role model to me."