Looking for a job

Danielle Picarello

@daniellepicarello

Computational biologist at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai identifying Alzheimer’s and Lewy body dementia risk genes and pathways.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m seeking to apply machine learning to large-scale human genetics for target discovery.

At Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, I lead the genomic and multi-omic center for DIAN, integrating WES, WGS, and genotype array data. I maintain reproducible Snakemake pipelines for sequencing QC and analysis, and curate genetic datasets that support consortium projects and publications.

I apply GWAS, MAGMA gene-level analysis, and pathway enrichment to identify candidate risk genes and pathways in Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. I’m drafting a first-author manuscript on this work.

Earlier, at Lehigh University, I implemented CHARMM GUI simulations of bacterial membrane systems and analyzed membrane properties. As a Rosetta Commons Intern, I contributed a weighted hydrophobicity attribute to Rosetta’s scoring algorithm to improve protein structure predictions.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Associate Computational Scientist

Current

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Jun 2023 - Present (3 years 4 months)

Lead the genomic and multi-omic center for DIAN, an international longitudinal study of dominantly inherited Alzheimer's disease, integrating WES, WGS, and genotype array data. Architect and maintain reproducible, containerized Snakemake pipelines for variant calling, QC, and analysis.

Research Assistant

Lehigh University

Jun 2020 - Jun 2023 (3 years)

Implemented CHARMM GUI to build molecular dynamics simulations of bacterial membrane systems and analyzed membrane properties. Independently analyzed outer membranes of pathogenic gram-negative bacteria to differentiate immune responses based on lipopolysaccharide structures.

Molecular Dynamics CHARMM Membrane Modeling Data Analysis Python R

Rosetta Commons Intern

Ohio State University

Jun 2021 - Aug 2021 (2 months)

Analyzed solvent accessible surface area of amino acid residues to determine effect of microenvironment on orientation. Enhanced Rosetta Software Suite's protein structure prediction by implementing weighted hydrophobicity attribute into scoring algorithm.

Rosetta Protein Structure Prediction RMSD Analysis Python Hydrophobicity Analysis

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Lehigh University

Master of Science, Bioengineering

Pursued a Master of Science in Bioengineering with a focus on Biocomputations and Data Analytics.

Lehigh University

Bachelor of Science, Biocomputational Engineering and the Politics of Health

Activities and societies: Cofounder & Secretary - Lehigh University's Machine Learning Club; Campus Environmental Advocate - Eco Representatives

Completed a Bachelor of Science in Biocomputational Engineering and the Politics of Health with Honors, including participation in the IDEAS Honors Program and Dean's List recognition.