Dr. Itai Yanai is the director of the Institute for Computational Medicine and a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. Before joining NYU Langone, Dr. Yanai led research on the evolution of developmental gene networks at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel.

The Yanai Lab integrates data, exploratory techniques, mathematical modeling, and insights from new research approaches to address medical questions. The lab developed a popular RNA sequencing technique, CEL-Seq. This single-cell transcriptomics method is used to study cancer evolution and bacterial infection.

Dr. Yanai also co-authored The Society of Genes (Harvard University Press, January 2016) with Dr. Martin Lercher, a professor at Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf in Germany. Contact him at itai.yanai@nyulangone.org.

Aristotelis Tsirigos, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, and Director, Applied Bioinformatics Laboratories

Dr. Tsirigos leads a diverse computational lab of bioinformaticians and data scientists at the Institute for Computational Medicine. His main focus is on cancer biology and, more recently, precision oncology. His lab studies the epigenome and the three-dimensional genome of pediatric leukemias. The long-term vision is to develop comprehensive models of acute leukemia that include genetic, epigenetic, three-dimensional architecture, and single-cell transcriptomic information to better understand relapse and resistance to therapy. Learn more about Dr. Tsirigos.

Jonas Schluter, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology

Dr. Schluter studies how the human gut microbiota can be used to improve health. He studies feedback between the microbiota ecosystem and how the human body regulates health. To detect a role of the microbiota in maintaining this homeostasis, Dr. Schluter leverages some of the largest longitudinal microbiome and patient data sets in the world. For these analyses, he works on time series analysis using Bayesian inference and machine learning approaches.

At the Institute for Computational Medicine, Dr. Schluter works at the interface of basic and translational research, demonstrating how vast clinical data sets provide a unique opportunity to reveal novel biology and how this can have immediate clinical implications. In combining big data analyses and clinical trials with lab-based approaches from evolutionary biology and microbial ecology, he seeks to rationally engineer the microbiome to cure disease and improve our wellbeing.

Debbie Bemis, PhD, Executive Director

Dr. Bemis works with Dr. Yanai to set and operationalize the strategic plan for the institute, as well as oversees its administration. She has more than 20 years of experience in basic and translational research, scientific communications, and research administration.

Kelly Scott, Executive Assistant

Ms. Scott has extensive experience supporting executives. She is responsible for grant administration, human resources, scheduling, and operational initiatives. Contact her at kelly.scott@nyulangone.org.