Members
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Travis S. Johnson, PhD
Agnes Beaudry Investigator in Myeloma Research
Assistant Professor of Biostatistics & Health Data Science
View CV
Dr. Johnson is the Agnes Beaudry Investigator in Myeloma Research at Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, and the Director of Bioinformatics at the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute. He has over 10 years of experience in bioinformatics analysis, multiomics, and machine learning. His current focus is in developing novel AI approaches to analyze single cell, spatial, and multiomic data. He is deeply driven to improve patient outcomes and develop new therapies via this work.
Dr. Johnson started out as a data analyst in the Ohio Air National Guard retiring as a Staff Sergeant. He then pursued and received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental and Plant Biology from Ohio University. Afterwards, he decided to shift focus to bioinformatics and received his Master of Science in Public Health and Doctorate in Biomedical Sciences from The Ohio State University.
He currently lives with his wife and two dogs in Broad Ripple Indiana where he enjoys the outdoors, golf, watching soccer, and worrying about the Cleveland Browns.
CURRENT MEMBERS
Debolina Chatterjee
Debolina Chatterjee is a postdoctoral researcher at the Indiana University School of Medicine in the Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, where she has been working since January 2023.She earned her Ph.D. in Mathematical Sciences (Statistics) from Purdue University in Indianapolis in 2022. Originally from India, she completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Statistics at the University of Calcutta. Debolina’s research focuses on analyzing high-dimensional data from single-cell and spatially resolved transcriptomics platforms, aiming to identify disease-causing features and explore the association of cells with disease attributes.
Outside of academia, she enjoys traveling, singing, and cooking. She is also deeply passionate about teaching and served as an instructor for undergraduate statistics courses at Indiana University Indianapolis for over four years.
Jiahui Liu
Jiahui Liu is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science at Indiana University. He earned his MSPH in Biostatistics from Emory University and BS in Bioinformatics from Huazhong Agricultural University. His research focuses on computational biology and machine learning, with an emphasis on developing statistical and deep learning models for analyzing single-cell and bulk RNA-seq data. His interests include Alzheimer’s disease pathology, disease-associated gene discovery, and the integration of foundation models for biomedical data analysis. Outside of research, he enjoys exploring emerging AI technologies and solving complex data-driven challenges.
Sihong Li
Sihong Li obtained his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics with a minor in Statistics from The Ohio State University in 2019 and his master’s degree in Biostatistics from Emory University in 2022. His research interests include single-cell multiomics and spatial transcriptomics. His recent projects focus on utilizing state-of-the-art computational tools to analyze high-throughput data in various diseases, including schwannoma and multiple myeloma. Originally from Hangzhou, China, Sihong enjoys playing basketball, soccer, and badminton in his free time. He previously lived in Utah for two years and has visited most of the major national parks in the United States, where he enjoys hiking, camping, and immersing himself in nature.
Madeline Peyton
Madeline Peyton is a Ph.D. student in Biostatistics at Indiana University Indianapolis. Her primary research focuses on developing and applying innovative machine learning methods for multi-modal omics data analysis. Her work is driven by a strong interest in leveraging computational techniques to better understand complex biological systems, with a specific emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease research. Prior to joining the lab, she completed a BS in Applied Statistics from Purdue University and a MS in Biostatistics from Indiana University Indianapolis. In her free time, she enjoys reading, crafting, cheering on the Cincinnati Reds, spending time with family, and cuddling with her cat, Gouda.
Sylvia Robertson
Sylvia received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Purdue University in 2018. She really likes animals and originally wanted to be a veterinarian until discovering a passion for scientific research. Before pursuing a bioinformatics career, she worked as a lab tech and took an online course on Python programming. In 2022, she earned a master’s degree in bioinformatics from IU and since then has been working at the IBRI doing mainly diabetes research. Additionally, she is involved in myeloma research, which is one of her interests, at IUSM. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and traveling.
Olivia Lazaro
Olivia graduated in 2024 with a BS in Biomedical Informatics from IUPUI. Her research interests include single-cell RNA sequencing analysis for conditions such as type-II diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease as well as other sequencing techniques. She loves spending time with her cat, Poppy, tea-drinking, and trying new foods. She is also involved in Esports and HEMA in her free time.
ALUMNI
Lujain Alsaleh (MS)
Carter Parrish (BS)