Meet Seda Arat of The Jackson Laboratory in Farmington, CT. Seda is a postdoctoral associate in the field of Computational Genetics and Systems Biology, and is a part of Greg Carter's lab. She made her first trip to CSHL for the 2017 Foundations of Computational Genomics course.
What are your research interests? What are you working on?
My long-term research interests involve analyzing high-throughput sequencing data and computational modeling of biological systems. I am currently working on understanding the molecular regulation of mammalian meiosis from a computational analysis perspective.
Was there something specific about the Foundations of Computational Genomics course that drew you to apply?
My current projects require deeper understanding of analysis of protein-DNA binding and histone modifications. And since I am a mathematician by training, I wanted to have a fundamental and comprehensive understanding of sequencing techniques and computational methods in genomics.
What is your key takeaway from the Course?
It was something Jeff Leek, one of our instructors, said: “Look at your data." And to do so in each and every step of the analysis.
Seda with fellow course trainees finalizing their end-of-course group project.
How many CSHL courses have you attended? Any plans to attend a near future CSHL course and/or meeting?
This was my first CSHL course, and I plan to attend Statistical Methods for Functional Genomics and/or Advanced Sequencing Technologies & Applications next year.
If someone curious in attending a future iteration of this course asked you for feedback or advice on it, what would you tell him/her?
It is a fast-paced and intense course, which consists of a very nice blend of lectures, hands-on workshops, and group projects. I would definitely recommend bringing your own data and biological questions so you're able to conduct more investigations and learn different perspectives and approaches from others.
What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
My time at the course was, I think, one of the most productive periods of my life! I love being able to focus on nothing but learning, applying, and collaborating and, since I didn't have to worry about commuting or cooking, I was able to do just that during my time here - that was great!
Thank you to Seda for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured scientists - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course - go here.