Rosenberg lab at Stanford University


About the lab

Research. Research in the lab focuses on mathematical, statistical, and computational problems in evolutionary biology and human genetics. Long-term interests of the lab include topics such as:

  • Human genetic variation
  • Mathematical models of human populations
  • Inference of human evolutionary history from genetic markers
  • Statistical analysis of population-genetic data
  • Mathematical models of gene genealogies
  • Theoretical population genetics
  • Combinatorics of evolutionary trees
  • The relationship between gene trees and species trees
  • Human evolutionary genetics in the search for genes that contribute to disease

We are interested in mathematical problems relevant for understanding evolutionary processes; in development and application of statistical methods for inference from genetic data; and in the biological applications of our theoretical and methodological work. Projects from the lab have examined data from a variety of different species. Read more about research in the lab...

Members. Graduate student and postdoctoral members of the lab have received their previous academic training in a variety of fields, including anthropological genetics, biochemistry, bioinformatics, biological anthropology, biology, chemistry, computer science, ecology & evolution, genetics, human biology, human genetics, mathematics, molecular & cellular biology, physics, psychology, statistics, and systems science & engineering. Lab alumni now hold faculty positions at Aarhus University, Duke University, Florida Atlantic University, Hebrew University of Jerusaleum, Holon Institute of Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Instituto Technoólogico Autónomo de México, Natural History Museum of Paris, Pennsylvania State University, Singapore Polytechnic, Tufts University, University of Idaho, University of New Mexico, University of Pisa, University of Southern California (1), University of Southern California (2), Uppsala University, and University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, and industry positions in bioinformatics, computational biology, data science, and software.
      Lab members contribute to a warm and interactive intellectual atmosphere with a strong commitment to rigor and training in mathematical, statistical, and computational approaches to biology. Members enter the group with a high degree of independence, motivation, and training; undergraduates and early-stage graduate students are often paired with senior members for the initial stages of their work in the lab. Typical research profiles for graduate students and postdocs include theory, method development, and data analysis, and both individual and team-oriented projects. Lab members have considerable autonomy in working to devise their project portfolios.
      As part of their experience in the lab, members of the lab strive to promote interconnectedness among academic disciplines, clear and concise scientific writing, informative presentation of scientific results, rigor and thoroughness in scientific work, support and mentorship for junior members, and openness in disseminating the products of their research. We seek to bring in new members who share our research interests and our scientific values. Read more about joining the lab...

Environment. Stanford has a rich community of researchers with interests related to those of the lab. Our location is a short distance from the main quad, the math, statistics, and computer science departments, the Li and Ma Science Library, the Clark Center and Bio-X, Stanford University Medical Center, the Cantor Arts Center, and Bytes Cafe. Read more about the lab environment...