Ricardo H
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at University of Toronto, St. George Campus
Expertise
Biology, Genetics, Machine Learning, Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Coding
Bio
My long-term research goal is to understand cognitive development which entails understanding the developmental pathways involved in neurogenesis. My research and academic training have provided me with excellent experience in computational and experimental biology. During my graduate career, supervised by Dr. John B. Vincent in the Molecular Neuropsychiatry and Development (MiND) Lab, my research focused on the role that Autosomal Recessive Variants in Intellectual Disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). My graduate work led to the second-largest study in ID in consanguineous Pakistani families where we identified 26 novel genes for ID with significant overlap with other psychiatric disorders including ASD. This was published in Molecular Psychiatry and was, at one point, the largest study at the time. Subsequent analysis and from that point has added another 15 novel genes. My research demonstrates the need and benefits of including diverse populations in scientific studies and how research can be used to help disadvantaged communities. I am committed to aiding disadvantaged and marginalized populations signified by my decade of teaching special needs children during my graduate training. I mentored and trained students in both the dry and wet lab and I also developed and assisted in teaching a course that is now offered by the university in Computational Biostatics and as well as local and province wide workshops. My current position is under the joint supervision of Drs. Michael Talkowski and Susan Slaugenhaupt, at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School/Broad Institute, are both internationally renowned in genomic data analysis, disease gene identification and development of therapeutic targets. I have recently started this position but I will be performing single-cell RNA sequencing to trace the expression levels of specific cell types in diseased states and response to different therapies. The proposed research will provide me with much richer conceptual and technical training in neurology, and psychiatric disorders as well as developing therapies in addition to career development activities such as grant writing, supervising students. My long-term research goal is to become an independent researcher contributing the knowledge of cognitive development and applying this knowledge to the identification of disease, translation to clinic and development of therapies for suffering patients.Project ideas
Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.
Analyzing Online Cancer Data Using Machine Learning to Subtype Cancers Type
We will use online resources to download , process and analyze RNAseq data and classify these samples based on their cancer subtype using machine learning models. Students will learn data analysis, machine learning and coding.
Understanding the genetics of neurological disorders
We will perform an extensive literature review to determine the most pressing questions in neurological diseases, their mechanisms and potential therapies. Students will learn to read papers, write down their ideas with supporting information with scientific rigour and citations.
Coding skills
R, Python, Bash, a bit of C++, SQLLanguages I know
FrenchTeaching experience
I was a teaching assistant for graduate and undergraduate courses. I taught special needs kids for a decade and high school programs as well as running a sports club.Credentials
Work experience
Harvard Medical School, Broad Institute, MIT, MGH (2020 - Current)
Research FellowEducation
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
BS Bachelor of Science (2007)
Biological Sciences an Specialization in Pharmaceutical BiotechnologyUniversity of Ontario Institute of Technology
MS Master of Science (2010)
Biomolecular ScienceUniversity of Toronto, St. George Campus
PhD Doctor of Philosophy (2020)
Genetics and Bioinformatics