UVictoria Statistical Data Science Seminar: Yue Zhang
Topic
Through Genomic Analysis
Speakers
Details
Comparative genomics offers valuable insights into evolutionary biology, uncovering patterns such as whole-genome duplications, gene retention, and gene loss. Polyploidization, a widespread evolutionary process, plays a pivotal role in shaping the genomes of plants and certain animal species. This talk examines the mechanisms of polyploidization and its evolutionary impact, including processes like gene retention, divergence, and adaptive evolution. By utilizing metrics such as gene pair similarity and synonymous substitution rates (Ks), alongside advanced tools like synteny analysis, we investigate methods to differentiate ancient and recent whole-genome duplication (WGD) events. The presentation also outlines potential future directions, emphasizing the integration of statistical mathematics, data science, and bioinformatics to address questions in evolutionary biology.
Additional Information
About the speaker:
Dr. Yue Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Thompson Rivers University. Holding a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Ottawa, specializing in comparative genomics within bioinformatics, Dr. Zhang’s research spans computational biology, data science, and evolutionary genomics. Dr. Zhang previously worked as a research associate at the Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre. Her work focuses on developing computational methods to analyze whole-genome duplication events, gene divergence, and retention patterns in polyploid genomes. Dr. Zhang has guided multiple student research projects and has received internal and external grants, including NSERC Discovery Grant, to advance research in genome evolution. With a interest in addressing biological questions, Dr. Zhang seeks to advance bioinformatics research and foster connections between related fields.