Palamara Lab

University of Oxford, Department of Statistics.

We are a research group based at Oxford University’s Department of Statistics and at the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, working at the intersection of computer science, statistics, and genetics. We develop statistical and machine learning algorithms to enable new types of analyses in large human genomic data sets. Specific areas of research in human genomics include:

  • Developing algorithms for simulation, reconstruction, and analysis of large-scale genealogical data (gene genealogies, haplotype sharing, phasing, imputation).
  • Studying demographic events and evolutionary parameters (migration, expansion/contraction of populations, natural selection, mutation/recombination rates).
  • Studying the genetic architecture of complex traits and detecting disease-causing variation in the human genome (heritability, polygenic prediction, association).

Recent lab news

Dec 28, 2023
A new paper on EpiNN, “Genome-wide classification of epigenetic activity reveals regions of enriched heritability in immune-related traits”, was published in Cell Genomics.
Dec 1, 2023
Our paper, “Haplotype-based inference of recent effective population size in modern and ancient DNA samples”, is now published in Nature Communications. The HapNe-LD and HapNe-IBD programs are available here.
Nov 23, 2023
Arni gave a talk and Hrushi presented a poster at ASHG 2023 in Washington, DC; Pier gave a talk at Institut Pasteur in Paris.
Sep 20, 2023
Our paper on CoalNN, “Inference of coalescence times and variant ages using convolutional neural networks”, was published in MBE. Also, new collaborative paper on large-scale synthetic data generation and preprint on aDNA analysis of early farmers of central Europe.
Jun 20, 2023
Arni, Yiorgos, Sinan, Hrushi, and Pier taught a session on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) at the Oxford Statistical Genomics Summer School.
May 1, 2023
New paper, “Biobank-scale inference of ancestral recombination graphs enables genealogical analysis of complex traits”, out in Nature Genetics. Also see this News and Views article by Kelley Harris, which gives a less technical overview of this work. (News coverage here.) The ARG-Needle and ASMC-clust programs are available here.
Jan 15, 2023
Miriam, Yiorgos, and Sinan defended their thesis!
Oct 29, 2022
Arni, Hrushi, Miriam, Yiorgos, and Zoi presented their work at ASHG 2022. Zoi’s talk received an Epstein Trainee Finalist Award for Excellence in Human Genetics Research (top 2.6% scored abstracts). Congrats!
Oct 1, 2022
Jaromir Sant (Postdoctoral Research Assistant) and Jiazheng Zhu (DPhil student) join the lab!
Aug 10, 2022
Brian and Juba defended their thesis!

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