Sohini Ramachandran
2024 National Award Finalist — Faculty
Current Position:
Hermon C. Bumpus Professor of Biology
Institution:
Brown University
Discipline:
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Recognized for:
The development of quantitative methods that reveal the causes and consequences of human genetic variation while advancing the goal of personalized medicine for all.
Areas of Research Interest and Expertise:
Human Genomics, Population Genetics, Statistical Genetics, Data Science
Previous Positions:
Associate Professor, Brown University
Assistant Professor, Brown University
Junior Fellow, Harvard Society of Fellows, Harvard University (Advisor: John Wakeley)
PhD, Stanford University (Advisor: Marcus Feldman)
BS, Stanford University
Research Summary:
For the genomics era to achieve its promise of personalized medicine for all, new methods are needed to ensure medical genetics research is relevant to all of humankind. Sohini Ramachandran, PhD has leveraged the wealth of human genomic sequencing data to innovate novel approaches based on mathematical modeling, applied statistical methods, and computer simulations to make inferences about the role of human demographic history and natural selection in human genetic variation and the genomic underpinnings of disease. The methodologies established by Dr. Ramachandran have demonstrated that an evolutionary lens is required for all people to benefit equitably from human genetics research.
“The human genome is an incredible text, revealing both our shared humanity and the interplay between genes and environments in shaping human traits. I am honored that my work on understanding the origins and consequences of human genetic variation has been recognized with this award.”
Key Publications:
- J. Carlson, B.M. Henn, D.R. Al-Hindi, and S. Ramachandran. Counter the weaponization of genetics research by extremists. Nature, 2022.
- S.P. Smith, S. Shahamatdar, W. Cheng, S. Zhang, J. Paik, M. Graff, C.A. Haiman, T.C. Matise, K.E. North, U. Peters, E. Kenny, C.R. Gignoux, G.L.Wojcik, L. Crawford, and S. Ramachandran. Enrichment analyses identify shared associations for 25 quantitative1traits in over 600,000 individuals from seven diverse ancestries. American Journal of Human Genetics, 2022.
- P. Nakka, S.P. Smith, A.H. O'Donnell-Luria, K. McManus, 23andMe Research Team, J. Mountain, S. Ramachandran, and F. Sathirapongsasuti. Characterization of prevalence and health consequences of uniparental disomy in four million individuals from the general population. American Journal of Human Genetics, 2019.
- L. Alpert Sugden, E.G. Atkinson, A.P. Fischer, S. Rong, B.M. Henn, and S. Ramachandran. Localization of adaptive variants in human genomes using Bayesian one-dependence estimation. Nature Communications, 2018.
Other Honors:
2022 Presidential Faculty Award, Brown University
2019 Presidential Early Career Award in Science & Engineering, United States Government
2012 Pew Biomedical Scholar, Pew Charitable Trusts
2012 Sloan Research Fellow, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
In the Media:
American Journal of Human Genetics – Inside AJHG: A Chat with Sohini Ramachandran
National Institutes of General Medicine, Biomedical Beat Blog – PECASE Honoree Sohini Ramachandran Studies the Genetic Foundations of Traits in Diverse Populations
Genome Biology – A two-fold challenge: the experience of women of color in genomics
The Swedish Collegium for Advanced Studies Talks – Sohini Ramachandran: “The human genome as a historical text”
Nature – Machine learning spots natural selection at work in human genome
Nature – Diverse genome study upends understanding of how language evolve