Learning Multiscale Genome and Cellular Organization

Despite significant advancements in high-throughput data acquisition in genomics and cell biology, our understanding of the diverse cell types within the human body remains limited. The principles governing intracellular molecular spatial organization and interactions, as well as cellular spatial organization within complex tissues, are still largely unclear. A major challenge lies in developing computational methods capable of integrating heterogeneous, multiscale molecular, cellular, and tissue information. In this talk, I will discuss our work on developing machine learning approaches to advance regulatory genomics through single-cell 3D epigenomics. Additionally, I will introduce our recent efforts in creating interpretable, self-supervised models for the multiscale delineation of cellular interactions in tissues. These methods hold the potential to reveal new insights into fundamental genome structure, gene regulation, and cellular function across a wide range of biological contexts in both health and disease.

Bio: Jian Ma is the Ray and Stephanie Lane Professor of Computational Biology in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. He leads a research group dedicated to developing advanced AI/ML methods for exploring the structural and functional complexity of the human genome and cellular organization. He recently founded the Center for AI-Driven Biomedical Research (AI4BIO) at CMU, which aims to advance AI/ML development for decoding the molecular language governing cellular behavior. He serves as the Contact PI for a Center grant in the NIH 4D Nucleome Program and as Co-Chair of its Steering Committee. He is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago and the RECOMB Steering Committee. His contributions have earned him several honors, including an NSF CAREER Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

---

If you need an accommodation for a disability please contact Emily Lawrence at emilyl@cs.princeton.edu at least one week before the event.

Contributions to and/or sponsorship of any event does not constitute departmental or institutional endorsement of the specific program, speakers or views presented.