January 2025
JXTX + CSHL Genome Informatics 2025 Awardees
JXTX: The James P. Taylor Foundation for Open Science is thrilled to announce the three recipients of the 2025 CSHL Genome Informatics JXTX Scholarship. These exceptional graduate students have been selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants to attend the prestigious Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Genome Informatics conference. The scholarship program, established to honor the memory of James Taylor, supports emerging bioinformatics researchers by covering conference registration fees and, in some cases, travel expenses.
The JXTX Foundation provides support for students to attend conferences in computational biology and data science, where they can present their work and form connections with other researchers in the field.
Zoe Rudnick
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Zoe Rudnick is a second-year Ph.D. student in Biomedical Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her research focuses on developing algorithms to analyze RNA-seq data, including long-read and single-cell datasets, to improve isoform-level quantification and transcript reconstruction.
Zoe's work addresses critical challenges in understanding gene expression at the transcript level, which has important implications for precision medicine and our understanding of complex biological systems. Outside of the lab, Zoe enjoys rock climbing, reading, and spending time with her cat.
Megan Le
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Megan Le is a Ph.D. student in Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she is advised by Dr. Heng Li and Dr. Bonnie Berger. Her research focuses on developing new algorithms and tools for genome analysis, tackling fundamental problems in genome assembly, variant calling, and read alignment.
These core areas of computational genomics are essential for extracting meaningful insights from sequencing data. Previously, Megan worked on methods for analyzing ancient DNA data, demonstrating the breadth of her computational expertise. Beyond her research contributions, she maintains an active engagement with the arts and games, enjoying reading, playing bridge, and performing on the piano and oboe.
Ryan Moreno
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Ryan Moreno is a Ph.D. student in Biomedical Data Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, working under the guidance of Dr. Sushmita Roy. His research leverages evolutionary information to enhance computational analyses of gene regulation and expression.
Ryan is currently focused on an innovative project that integrates RNA sequencing data across species, with the ambitious goal of identifying both conserved and differential gene programs. This comparative approach promises to reveal fundamental principles of gene regulation that transcend species boundaries while also illuminating the evolutionary innovations that distinguish different organisms. When he's not analyzing sequencing data, Ryan enjoys playing soccer, hockey, and piano.
About JXTX: The James P. Taylor Foundation for Open Science
"The most important job of senior faculty is to mentor junior faculty and students." These are the words that Professor James P. Taylor, the Ralph S. O'Connor Professor at the Departments of Biology and Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University said and lived by. This, he believed, was imperative to advance science, and in a way that facilitated diversity and inclusion. The mission of this foundation is to continue his legacy, through a multifaceted approach which will be unrolled across several stages.
Towards the goal of advancing mentorship, the JXTX Foundation will organize and host mentoring sessions between senior and junior faculty members at select high-profile meetings. The Foundation also aims to attract new scholars, including high school and undergrad students, to computational biology and data science, and to form connections and opportunities for members of underrepresented minority populations.
According to his colleagues, James hated self-promotion. But the community would be done a grave disservice if the seeds planted by Dr. Taylor were not nourished to grow and flourish. Thank you to those who have generously contributed.
Please consider making a donation to support James Taylor's legacy.