Finishing an M.Sc. in bioinformatics (U of C) - I turn genomic data into real insights using representation learning.
Hi, my name is Sasha Chernenkoff!
I'm an ML engineer finishing an M.Sc. in bioinformatics in the Long lab at the University of Calgary. My research focuses on representation learning on genomic data: whether large pretrained models can be fine-tuned for new tasks without losing what they've already learned. I use these retrained predictive models to answer real clinical questions and derive new insights. My current work involves fine-tuning genomic foundation models for protein and RNA coverage prediction, and evaluating how well their learned representations generalize to the new tasks.
Before grad school, I worked as an R&D scientist at PerkinElmer Genomics, where I developed second-tier biochemical diagnostic tests for newborn screening - an LC-MS/MS biomarker panel for MPS I & II and a Western blot CRIM-status assay for Pompe disease. That work got me interested in the intersection of molecular biology and diagnostics, and inspired my work in computational genomics.
I can generally be found behind my computer screen writing code, getting lost in the Canadian Rockies with my husband and son, or designing and building websites, keyboards, and graphics!
Sasha
I'm an ML engineer finishing an M.Sc. in bioinformatics in the Long lab at the University of Calgary. My research focuses on representation learning on genomic data: whether large pretrained models can be fine-tuned for new tasks without losing what they've already learned. I use these retrained predictive models to answer real clinical questions and derive new insights. My current work involves fine-tuning genomic foundation models for protein and RNA coverage prediction, and evaluating how well their learned representations generalize to the new tasks.
Before grad school, I worked as an R&D scientist at PerkinElmer Genomics, where I developed second-tier biochemical diagnostic tests for newborn screening - an LC-MS/MS biomarker panel for MPS I & II and a Western blot CRIM-status assay for Pompe disease. That work got me interested in the intersection of molecular biology and diagnostics, and inspired my work in computational genomics.
I can generally be found behind my computer screen writing code, getting lost in the Canadian Rockies with my husband and son, or designing and building websites, keyboards, and graphics!
Sasha