CV

Education

• Ph.D in Genetics, Stanford University, 2024
• B.A. in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California Berkeley, 2018

Research experience

• Postdoctoral scholar with Doc Edge at USC, Summer 2024 onwards
• Graduate researcher with Jonathan Pritchard at Stanford, Spring 2019-Summer 2024
  • Developing methods for statistical and population genetic analyses of human data.
• Undergraduate researcher with Steven Brenner at U.C. Berkeley, Fall 2015-Spring 2018
  • Developed and validated computational models for predicting Mendelian disease phenotypes from rare genetic variation.
  • Received fully funded summer research through the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program Summer Fellowship.
• Researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Summer 2016
  • Implemented software to identify bacterial virulence genes from a sequenced metagenomic sample.

Publications

Genetic interactions drive heterogeneity in causal variant effect sizes for gene expression and complex traits

R. A. Patel*, S. A. Musharoff*, J. P. Spence, H. Pimentel, C. Tcheandjieu, et al., 2022 Genetic interactions drive heterogeneity in causal variant effect sizes for gene expression and complex traits. American Journal of Human Genetics 109: 1286–1297.

Increasing equity in science requires better ethics training: a course by trainees, for trainees

R. A. Patel*, R. A. Ungar*, A. L. Pyke, A. Adimoelja, M. Chakraborty, et al., 2024 Increasing equity in science requires better ethics training: A course by trainees, for trainees. Cell Genomics 4: 100554.

Conditional frequency spectra as a tool for studying selection on complex traits in biobanks

Patel et al., 2024, bioRxiv

Presentations

• “Complex trait architecture across populations: opportunities and considerations”
  • Emerging Genomic Scientist Symposium, University of California Los Angeles, 2024 (talk)
• “Population genetics perspectives on complex trait architecture across populations”
  • Probabilistic Modeling in Genomics (ProbGen) Conference, 2024 (talk)
• “Population genetics models of complex trait variation”
  • Bay Area Population Genomics Conference, 2023 (talk)
  • Center for Admixed Populations and Health Equity, 2023 (invited talk)
• “The impact of selection on the genetic architecture of complex traits”
  • Center for Admixed Populations and Health Equity, 2023 (invited talk)
  • Stanford Center for Genomics and Precision Medicine, 2023 (invited talk)
  • Department of Genetics, Stanford University, 2023 (talk)
• “The other impact factor: reasoning through the social and ethical implications of genetics research”
  • Department of Biomedical Informatics, Stanford University, 2022 (invited talk)
• “Expanding ethics education for trainees: creating and evaluating a course on genetics, ethics, and society”
  • American Society of Human Genetics Conference, 2022 (poster)
  • Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics Seminar Series, 2022 (invited talk)
• “Genetic interactions drive heterogeneity in causal variant effect sizes for gene expression and complex traits”
  • Variant Effects Seminar Series, 2022 (invited talk)
  • Population, Evolutionary, and Quantitative Genetics Conference, 2022 (talk)
  • Cohort for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology Conference, 2022 (poster)
  • Center for Admixed Populations and Health Equity, 2022 (invited talk)

Service and leadership

• Co-vice president of BioJam, 2021-2023
  • I co-designed and oversaw a year-long academic program that engages teens from marginalized communities in the Bay Area to explore biodesign and bioengineering through their own culture and creativity.
• Co-lead of The Genetics Advocacy Committee, 2020-2022
  • I managed six different trainee-led initiatives to increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in the Stanford Genetics department, ranging from diversifying graduate admissions to increasing ethics education for graduate students. I also worked with faculty and staff to secure department support and funding for these initiatives.
• Co-founder of Stanford Science Justice Reading Group, 2019-2020
  • I organized a monthly forum for graduate students and postdocs to think critically about science and scientific institutions, with the ultimate goal of understanding how to improve diversity and inclusion in academia.

Teaching

Genetics, Ethics, and Society

Introductory Data Analysis Workshop

Biophysical Chemistry

Awards

• UCLA Emerging Genomic Scientist Fellow, 2024
• Stanford Student Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2023
• Stanford Center for Computational, Evolutionary, and Human Genetics Predoctoral Fellowship, 2022
• Edward M. Blount Award, U.C. Berkeley, 2018
  • “awarded to the student with the highest academic achievement in Genetics, Genomics, and Development”
• Graduation with Highest Distinction in General Scholarship, U.C. Berkeley, 2018