Laboratory of Computational BiologySupervisor: Dr. Stein AertsThesis title: Exploring the code of life: From decoding to designing cell type-specific enhancers with deep learning• Led innovative research projects focused on decoding gene regulation through the development and application of deep learning models on DNA sequence and omics data.• Applied deep learning models to design synthetic enhancers targeting specific cell types in human melanoma and the fly brain, demonstrating the potential of enhancer code manipulation for gene therapy and cell state manipulation.• Published these findings in high-impact journals such as Nature and Genome Research, significantly advancing research on the functional impact of noncoding genome variation and enhancer code.Main projects:• Cross species analysis of enhancer logic (published in Genome Research).• Interpretation of non-coding variants on personal cancer genomes (published in Genome Research).• Decoding gene regulation in fly brain (published in Nature).• Designing cell-type-specific enhancers in human and Drosophila (published in Nature).

Science DivisionSupervisor: Dr. Žiga Avsec• Applied deep learning techniques to model complex biological systems, contributing to key projects within the Genomics Team.• Collaborated with a cross-disciplinary team of research scientists and engineers, integrating machine learning and computational biology using Google DeepMind’s ecosystem.

Developmental Neurobiology LaboratorySupervisor: Dr. Arzu CelikThesis title: “Transcriptome-wide analysis of IroC target genes in the Drosophila olfactory system”• Conducted a transcriptome-wide analysis using RNA sequencing to identify target genes of a transcription factor in the Drosophila olfactory system, focusing on understanding the molecular mechanisms behind neuron diversification.• Gained extensive experience in wet lab techniques, including working with Drosophila, breeding and crossing mutant lines, performing immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy, and conducting PCR, qRT-PCR, and gel electrophoresis.

Laboratory of Computational BiologySupervisor: Dr. Jelle Jacobs, Dr. Stein AertsInvestigated why certain transcription factor binding sites were inaccessible and not bound by the protein, gaining experience in omics data analysis and gene regulation using random forest models. Collaborated with PhD students, contributing to research that resulted in a publication in Nature Genetics.

Behavioural Neuroscience LaboratorySupervisor: Dr. Munire Ozlem Cevik• Conducted behavioral assays on Drosophila to study gene-behavior relationships, gaining experience in experimental design and data analysis. Assisted in genetic crosses and Drosophila maintenance, contributing to larger projects on behavioral phenotypes.

Nanophotonics Research GroupTopic: Nanophotonic Simulations and Optical System Designs

Topic: ANKA Unmanned Aerial System Control Computer Hardware Project

Weapon Systems Directorate of Aircraft Group