June 26th, 2024

JXTX GCC2024 Awardees

JXTX: The James P. Taylor Foundation for Open Science is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 Galaxy Community Conference Scholarships. The JXTX Foundation provides support for students to attend conferences in computational biology and data science, where they can present their work and form connections with other researchers in the field.

Shweta Pandey

CSIR-IMTECH

Shweta Pandey is a research scholar at the CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology (CSIR-IMTECH), Chandigarh, India. She has a background in Biotechnology and is currently pursuing her PhD in Bioinformatics with Dr. Anshu Bhardwaj in CSIR-IMTECH. Shweta's research focuses on investigating shared genetic components of comorbidities using data-driven approaches.

Natalia E. Padillo-Anthemides

University of Florida

Natalia is a 2nd year Genetics and Genomics PhD student in the Ryan Lab at University of Florida’s Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience. Leveraging single-cell RNA sequencing while learning from generous online resources like Galaxy Training Single Cell, her project focuses on the genomics of neurons in ctenophores in order to better understand the evolution of nervous systems in animals. Natalia is eager to attend GCC to connect with fellow scholars who share her passion, deepen her understanding of how to translate knowledge into practical tools for research, and cultivate innovative analytical approaches in bioinformatics to tackle the nuanced challenges within her field.

Luca Degradi

Università degli Studi di Milano

Luca Degradi is an Italian researcher and educator who is passionate about molecular biology and bioinformatics. He obtained a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Science and Technology from the Università degli Studi di Milano in 2018. His thesis on GMO perception in Italy reflects his dedication to exploring scientific frontiers and their societal implications.

Morgan Howells

The Open University

Morgan Howells is a third year BSc student studying Computing & IT at The Open University. He has a passionate interest in deep learning and its application in bioinformatics. His final year project is focusing on leveraging large scale single-cell transcriptomics data to train neural networks for cell type classification. He is also currently engaged in work conducting scRNA-seq analysis to profile and track changes in drug-resistant and sensitive cells within prostate cancer tissues.

Drielli Canal

State University of Campinas, São Paulo

Drielli graduated from Federal University of Espírito Santo, Southeast Brazil, in Biological Sciences which enabled her to go into the fields of genetics and plant breeding. Consequently, she did her masters project looking into guava genomics via the use of bioinformatics and molecular analyses. Driven by a passion for species conservation, her Ph.D at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil, focused on investigating the genetic foundations of essential oil biosynthesis in native Brazilian species. During the PhD, she spent 6 months at Cardiff University in Wales, enhancing the knowledge in gene cloning and enzymatic assays. Currently, Drielli is working as a guest researcher at the State University of Campinas, São Paulo, studying an Amazonian ground-herb which is adapted to water flooded environments by looking into its genomic regulation in a flooding gradient.

Ahmad Azani Othman

UiTM

Ahmad Azani Othman, currently in his second year of PhD studies in molecular microbiology at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Malaysia, is deeply immersed in the fascinating world of microbial diversity. His research project centers around the external and internal (gut) microbiome of blowflies collected from both Malaysia’s pristine reserve forests and bustling urban areas. By employing a metagenomic approach (specifically, 16S rRNA sequencing), Ahmad aims to compare the biodiversity and intricate interplay between blowflies and bacterial populations.

About JXTX: The James P. Taylor Foundation for Open Science

“The most important job of senior faculty is to mentor junior faculty and students.” These are the words that Professor James P. Taylor, the Ralph S. O’Connor Professor at the Departments of Biology and Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University said and lived by. This, he believed, was imperative to advance science, and in a way that facilitated diversity and inclusion. The mission of this foundation is to continue his legacy, through a multifaceted approach which will be unrolled across several stages.

Towards the goal of advancing mentorship, the JXTX Foundation will organize and host mentoring sessions between senior and junior faculty members at select high-profile meetings. The Foundation also aims to attract new scholars, including high school and undergrad students, to computational biology and data science, and to form connections and opportunities for members of underrepresented minority populations.

According to his colleagues, James hated self-promotion. But the community would be done a grave disservice if the seeds planted by Dr.Taylor were not nourished to grow and flourish. Thank you to those who have generously contributed.

Please consider making a donation to support James Taylor’s legacy.