Arjun Bhattacharya
Assistant Professor
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center at Houston
Department of Epidemiology
Dr. Arjun Bhattacharya develops and applies computational tools to understand the biological mechanisms contributing to breast cancer risk, outcomes, and related phenotypes in multi ancestry populations. Additionally, he studies how genetic regulation during the gestational window affects developmental programming of common, non-communicable diseases. From a methodological perspective, he develops machine learning methods that integrate genetic association studies with rich transcriptomic and functional genomics datasets, with a focus on alternative isoform expression and splicing events.
Currently, Dr. Bhattacharya has three main research projects:
Evaluation and development of machine learning methods for genetics and functional genomics reference panels in diverse
- Analysis of alternative isoform expression and splicing events as potential mediators for the shared etiology of breast cancer risk and mammographic density.
- Molecular epidemiology of developmental programming through the development of a multi-ancestry quantitative trait locus panel for the human pl
The Bhattacharya Lab can provide exposure to large, population-scale datasets in germline genetics and transcriptomics, including cutting-edge long-read RNA-sequencing data. During tutorial rotations, students will learn statistical genetics (GWAS/TWAS, QTL colocalization, PGS development) and transcriptomics (transcript assembly, quantification, differential expression/usage analysis) techniques, as well as machine learning methodology (penalized regression, classification) and data science practice (e.g., Github, pipieline deployment on seadragon). Potential graduate students will also work with and learn from Dr. Bhattacharya's collaborators at institutions outside of MD Anderson, such as the University of Pennsylvania, University of Washington, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Miami, and the University of Hawaii. We are committed to supporting and enriching the academic and career goals of trainees and providing opportunities to develop complementary skills. The lab's core values are collaboration, creativity, and civility.
Education & Training
PhD - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - 2020