About me

I studied mathematics at MIT and UC Berkeley. After graduating, I was a NSF postdoc at Stanford University and a Visiting Assistant Professor in Statistics at the University of Chicago, working in statistics, population sequencing, and viral evolution. After that, I spent six years as a principal scientist at 23andMe, where I studied the genetics of a wide range of complex traits, from Parkinson’s disease to cilantro dislike. I became a data scientist at Coursera in 2014, where I worked to make online education more effective, available, and fun. After a stint at Calico working on longevity, I’ve returned to 23andMe, where I work on building data products to help customers improve their health outcomes.

Research Interests

Statistics, machine learning and discrete mathematics
Complex trait genetics, genome-wide association studies, heritability, and sequencing
Cancer tumor progression and HIV population evolution

Experience and Education

Senior Health R&D Scientist, 23andMe, Sunnyvale, CA (2018–present)
Principal Data Scientist, Calico Labs, South San Francisco, CA (2016–2018)
Data Scientist, Coursera, Mountain View, CA (2014–2016)
Principal Scientist, Statistical Genetics, 23andMe, Mountain View, CA (2008–2014)
Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Chicago, Department of Statistics (2007–2008)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Stanford University, Department of Statistics (2006–2007)
Emphasis in Computational and Genomic Biology, University of California, Berkeley (2001–2006)
Ph.D. Mathematics, University of California, Berkeley (2001–2006)
S.B. Mathematics (Minor in Music), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1997–2001)

Honors and awards

National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship — Mathematical Sciences (2006–2008)
Bernard Friedman Prize, University of California, Berkeley, top thesis in applied mathematics (2006)
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (2001–2004)
Westinghouse Science Talent Search, Third Place (1997)