Today was a day for curiosity and camaraderie! Students, alumni and faculty gathered at The Assembly today for the CPCB 20th Anniversary Research Symposium, which celebrates two decades of excellence in training and discovery for the CMU-PITT Computational Biology PhD Program.

Assistant Professor Keisuke Ishihara’s lab has released a new preprint that sheds light on the development of human cardioids, which are lab-made miniature heart tissue. Read more about the research: tinyurl.com/IshiharaHeart

Study reveals role of hyaluronic acid in human heart development - Department of Computational and Systems Biology

Assistant Professor Keisuke Ishihara’s lab has released a new preprint that sheds light on the development of human cardioids, which are lab-made miniature heart tissue.

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Laura Tipton realized that she wanted to ask her own research questions. This led her on a path to earning her PhD in computational biology. The CPCB graduate is now an assistant professor of environmental data science at James Madison University. Read more about Tipton: tinyurl.com/Laura-Tipton

CPCB Alumni Success Story: Laura Tipton - Department of Computational and Systems Biology

Laura Tipton is an assistant professor of environmental data science at James Madison University, where she pursues the research questions of her choice in her biology lab.

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The beginning of the fall semester is only a few weeks away! If you are a new student, you may have questions about what to expect for your first year at Pitt. We've created this new student survival guide with important information on campus resources. Read the guide: tinyurl.com/NewStudent26

2026 New Student Survival Guide - Department of Computational and Systems Biology

We’re sure you have many questions about life at Pitt, so we’ve assembled a list of frequently asked questions to make your transition to campus a little easier.

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New research from Warren van Loggerenberg and Fritz Roth sheds light on the variants that cause APS-1, a rare immunodeficiency disease. They assessed the function of 9,790 of these pathogenic variants in their variant effect map. Read the full research article: tinyurl.com/RothVariants

Systematic and proactive evaluation of AIRE missense variant effects

Pathogenic variants in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) cause autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1), a rare primary immunodeficiency disease…

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Graduate student Hamid Javanshir has always been passionate about the power of research to improve patients' lives. He has a provisional patent application underway for the cancer drug candidates he designed through his computational research. Read more about his work: tinyurl.com/JavanshirRes...

CoBB graduate student Maura O'Malley has had a busy summer filled with preparing for graduation and gaining experience as a research intern at Mass General Brigham in Boston. Read more about Maura in our graduate spotlight: tinyurl.com/MauraCoBB

Graduate Spotlight: Maura O’Malley, MS ‘26 - Department of Computational and Systems Biology

Maura O’Malley is preparing for graduation from the computational Biomedicine and Biotechnology master's degree program while making an impact as a research intern at Mass General Brigham.

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Congratulations to Assistant Professor Nate Lord, who has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER)! Read more about the CAREER award: tinyurl.com/LordCAREER

Nate Lord earns Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the NSF - Department of Computational and Systems Biology

Assistant Professor Nate Lord has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER).

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Assistant Professor Shikhar Uttam is among a group of 16 research teams awarded $35 million in funding over three years to study new approaches for prevention, early detection and interception of BRCA-related cancers. Learn more about the award: tinyurl.com/UttamGrant

Meet Avery Mills, a former CompBio Academy student who is interning in the Roth lab this summer! Learn more about Avery and her summer research on variant effect maps. tinyurl.com/AveryMills

Meet the Intern: Avery Mills - Department of Computational and Systems Biology

Meet Avery Mills, a former CompBio Academy student who is interning in the Roth lab this summer!

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For Associate Professor Jim Faeder, no mountain is too high. 🏔️ This summer, he got out of the lab and onto the trail. Faeder traveled to Peru and hiked to the summit of Machu Picchu. Read more about his incredible trip in this summer story: tinyurl.com/FaederTrek

Our students are presenting their work across the country! Congratulations to PhD student Anamarie Martinez, who won a travel award to attend the FASEB Dynamics and Encoding in Cell Signaling Conference in Nashville. She presented a poster and delivered a flash talk at the conference.

Shannon Quinn is driven by solving problems that lead to advances in drug discovery. The graduate of the CMU-PITT Computational Biology PhD Program now works as a senior staff machine learning engineer at Valo Health. Read more about Quinn in our alumni success story: tinyurl.com/ShannonQuinn

CPCB Alumni Success Story: Shannon Quinn - Department of Computational and Systems Biology

Shannon Quinn is driven by solving complex problems that lead to advances in drug discovery.

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Congratulations to Professor Jianhua Xing, who received a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences! This grant will support Xing’s project on quiescence and senescence. Learn more about the research: tinyurl.com/XingNIGMS

Jianhua Xing awarded grant from National Institute of General Medical Sciences - Department of Computational and Systems Biology

Professor Jianhua Xing received an R01 grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).

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Spring cleaning isn't just for closets 💻 This month, take 15 minutes to clear out old files in OneDrive and SharePoint. The time you spend helps to reduce Pitt’s carbon footprint. #DigitalSpringCleaning

Check out our new home at Fifth and Halket!

Congratulations to Associate Professor John Barton, who has received a Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award from the National Institutes of Health! Read more about the award: tinyurl.com/BartonNIH

Let's unlock curiosity and pursue discovery this summer! Undergraduate students have arrived for the TECBio REU program, a 10-week summer program that provides a challenging and fulfilling graduate-level research experience in computational biology.

Ericka Mochan always knew she wanted to be a teacher. In our alumni success story, the Chair of the Department of Computational and Chemical Sciences at Carlow University reflects on how earning her computational biology PhD helped her achieve a dream career. tinyurl.com/ErickaMochan

CPCB Alumni Success Story: Ericka Mochan - Department of Computational and Systems Biology

Mochan is a graduate of the Joint Carnegie Mellon-University of Pittsburgh PhD Program in Computational Biology (CPCB) and currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Computational and Chemical...

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Now launching: new ideas and collaborations! 🚀 The Department of Computational and Systems Biology held its annual retreat at the Kamin Science Center last week. Read more: shorturl.at/nZC95

Department of Computational and Systems Biology hosts 2026 annual retreat at Kamin Science Center - Department of Computational and Systems Biology

The Department of Computational and Systems Biology (CSB) hosted its annual retreat at the Kamin Science Center on May 7.

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To survive and succeed during finals week, remember to balance studying with self-care. Here are our tips for acing your tests while staying healthy. Good luck on your exams! tinyurl.com/5FinalsTips

5 tips for success during finals week - Department of Computational and Systems Biology

To survive and succeed during finals week, remember to balance studying with self-care. Here are our tips for acing your tests while staying healthy.

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PhD candidate Swapnil Keshari was recognized with two leadership awards! Keshari received the Leadership & Service Award from Graduate and Professional Student Government and was also honored as a Student Sustainability Champion for 2026.

The Department of Computational and Systems Biology has a new home! CSB will relocate to the top floor of a newly constructed 10-story building on Fifth Avenue and Halket Street. The move has already begun and should conclude by April 22. Read more: tinyurl.com/CSBFifthHalket

How did SARS-CoV-2 variants acquire dozens of mutations during the pandemic? New research from the Barton Lab investigates how such divergent, highly mutated variants could arise. Read the full research in Virus Evolution: tinyurl.com/BartonSARS2

Chronic infections can generate SARS-CoV-2-like bursts of viral evolution without epistasis

Multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants have arisen during the first years of the pandemic, often bearing many new mutations. Several explanations have been offered for the surprisingly sudden emergence of multiple mutations that enhance viral fitness, ...

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What is it about a master’s degree that can set you apart from other job candidates? Beyond the personal fulfilment of earning your diploma, there are tangible career benefits to pursuing a master’s degree in Computational Biomedicine and Biotechnology. www.csb.pitt.edu/2026/03/25/5...

5 benefits of earning a master’s degree in Computational Biomedicine and Biotechnology - Department of Computational and Systems Biology

What is it about a master’s degree that can set you apart from other candidates in the job market? Beyond the personal fulfilment of earning your diploma, there are tangible career benefits to pursuin...

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The Gur lab has published a new article in JACS Au, a journal of the American Chemical Society, that sheds light on how a promising class of cancer-fighting molecules works at the atomic level. Read more about the research on protein phosphate 2A, an "off-switch" for cancer: tinyurl.com/JACSPP2A

What word would Jennifer Watt use to describe herself? Resilient. This word perfectly captures how the administrative manager has overcome setbacks to thrive in all aspects of her life, from running ultramarathons to building a new career. Read more in our staff spotlight: tinyurl.com/JenniferWatt

From a young age, Warren van Loggerenberg dreamed of becoming a professor. That dream is now becoming reality as he transitions from a research scientist to an assistant professor. Learn more about Warren in our faculty spotlight: tinyurl.com/WarrenSpotli...

Faculty Spotlight: Warren van Loggerenberg - Department of Computational and Systems Biology

From a young age, Warren van Loggerenberg dreamed of becoming a professor. That dream is now becoming reality as he transitions from a research scientist to an assistant professor in the Department of...

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Today's the day for Pitt Day of Giving! Join us in making an impact to ensure that we have the latest tools and resources to stay at the forefront of research, discovery, and training. ⏰ Giving ends at midnight. ➡️ Donate today: tinyurl.com/CSBGive

Computational and Systems Biology Fund - Pitt Day of Giving

The pipeline of new medical breakthroughs begins upstream, with fundamental discoveries. The Department of Computational and Systems Biology (CSB) is harnessing advanced computational methods and syst...

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There is a growing need for bioinformatics professionals who can manage and interpret extensive genetic datasets. Have you ever wondered how to become a bioinformatics scientist? Check out this blog post: tinyurl.com/Bioinformati...

How a master’s degree can jump-start your bioinformatics career - Department of Computational and Systems Biology

Have you ever wondered where a master’s degree in Computational Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CoBB) will take you? Read on to learn more about the bioinformatics scientist profession.

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