Gamze Gürsoy, PhD
Core Faculty Member, NYGC Herbert Irving Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University
Biology, Genomics & Technology - 2022 NIGMS Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award
- 2020 NHGRI Pathway to Independence Award
- 2018 NIH/IBM Big Data to Knowledge Young Investigator Award
- 2017 University of Illinois Outstanding Dissertation Award
Gamze Gürsoy, PhD, is a Core Faculty Member at the New York Genome Center. She holds a joint appointment as Herbert Irving Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics at Columbia University.
Dr. Gürsoy’s lab’s overarching research goal is to harmonize diverse fields such as biology, bioinformatics, molecular biology, engineering, and cryptography to achieve two fundamental aims: (1) to increase biomedical data access to a wider group of scientists while preserving privacy of research participants; and (2) to uncover the molecular underpinnings of gene dysregulation via knowledge gained from functional genomics data. They create modular and privacy-enhancing omics and clinical data analysis tools, which can be adapted to new data modalities and analysis needs as they arise, by combining knowledge in molecular biology and applied cryptography. They also develop computational and biochemical technologies to pinpoint genetic and epigenetic determinants of chromatin organization. Dr. Gürsoy leads a group of computational and experimental scientists, creating opportunities for training in cross-disciplinary studies in her lab. More information about her group can be found here.
Dr. Gürsoy’s work has been recognized with many honors, most recently a 2022 NIGMS Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award, a 2020 NHGRI Pathway to Independence Award, a 2018 NIH/IBM Big Data to Knowledge Young Investigator Award, and a 2017 University of Illinois Outstanding Dissertation Award. She led teams to win first and third place in NHGRI iDASH Secure Genome Analysis Competition in 2018 and 2019, respectively. She is also recognized by her contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM and selected as one of the inaugural Intersections Science Fellows in 2021.
Prior ExperienceDr. Gürsoy joined the NYGC from Yale University, where she was a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry Department. During her postdoctoral training with Dr. Mark Gerstein, she specialized in genome privacy and functional genomics; and received training in biochemistry and genome engineering in Dr. Andrew Miranker’s lab. Dr. Gürsoy obtained her PhD in Bioinformatics from University of Illinois at Chicago, where she studied the role of 3D genome organization on the function of the genome. Before her graduate studies, she was trained as a chemical engineer with a focus in bioengineering.
Neuropsychiatric Disease 
