HOMETOWN
Wenonah, NJ, USA
LANGUAGES
English, Spanish
THESIS MENTOR
Nicholas Jacobson
FAVORITE ALGORITHM
Algorithm
Support Vector Machines (SVMs)
Gene
Bmal1
UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION
University of Pennsylvania
BA, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
PREVIOUS WORK EXPERIENCE
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
2017 - 2019: Research Specialist/Technician in Circadian Rhythm & Metabolism
University of Pennsylvania Department of Biology
2014 - 2016: Research Specialist/Technician in Ecology & Evolution of Disease Systems
University of Pennsylvania Department of Biology
2013 – 2019: Biology Instructor/TA
Undergraduate courses in Vertebrate Anatomy, Vertebrate Physiology, Organismal Biology, Evolutionary Biology, and Biostatistics
THESIS TITLE
CAREER TRACK(S)
Academia & Industry
TECHNICAL EXPERTISE
Computational
Python, R, Bash/Shell, Cytoscape, Excel/VBA, Geneious, IGV, ImageJ, MOE, Prism, SAS
Wet Lab
1D DNA/protein electrophoresis, DNA/RNA isolation and purification, qPCR, Western Blot, protein expression and purification, immunohistochemistry, EM/confocal/light microscopy, tissue dissection/microdissection, cryosectioning, primer design/testing, ELISA, bacterial transformation, mouse handling and colony management, protocol development
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Electives
COSC 169: Topics in Computer Systems - Mobile X; COSC 174: Machine Learning & Statistical Data Analysis; PSYC 174: Computational Neuroscience; QBS 126: Analysis of Densely Collected Longitudinal Data
Publications The circadian clock control of adipose tissue physiology and metabolism. Cold-Induced Browning of Inguinal White Adipose Tissue Is Independent of Adipose Tissue Cyclooxygenase-2.
Lekkas D, Paschos GK
Auton Neurosci. 2019 Jul;219:66-70. doi: 10.1016/j.autneu.2019.05.001. Epub 2019 May 8.
PMID: 31122604
Paschos GK, Tang SY, Theken KN, Li X, Verginadis I, Lekkas D, Herman L, Yan W, Lawson J, FitzGerald GA
Cell Rep. 2018 Jul 24;24(4):809-814. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.06.082.
PMID: 30044978
Flattening the Mental Health Curve: COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders Are Associated With Alterations in Mental Health Search Behavior in the United States. Jacobson NC, Lekkas D, Price G, Heinz MV, Song M, O’Malley AJ, Barr PJ. JMIR Ment Health 2020;7(6):e19347. DOI: 10.2196/19347
Poster Presentations
Oral Presentations
My Interests
I am actively involved with projects that leverage machine learning and statistical methodologies to analyze and/or predict mental health outcomes with the hope of contributing to an improved understanding and treatment of psychiatric disorder. Specifically, I am interested in applying a diverse repertoire of computational tools to study the behavioral and social complexities of suicidal ideation and intent.
RESEARCHER I ADMIRE
Charles Darwin
FAVORITE RESEARCH PAPER
Gould S.J. and Lewontin, R.C. (1979). The spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian paradigm: a critique of the adaptationist programme. 205. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.1979.0086
Why QBS?
"As someone with academic and professional training across multiple scientific disciplines, I am interested in pursuing a doctoral degree in a program that allows me to draw from my diverse education and research experiences. Through the combined lens of anthropology, biology, and computer science, I want to design and apply quantitative and computational methodologies to
tackle important problems in biomedicine. Given the highly interdisciplinary and integrative nature of the QBS program, the vast opportunities to evolve as a scientist capable of working at the interface of several related fields has made Dartmouth and especially the QBS program the perfect choice for me."
FAVORITE QBS CLASS
Life @ Dartmouth
WHEN I AM NOT IN LAB
"I am outside enjoying nature, or at home playing retro video games."