Project Mentor
Dr. Dongyuan Song
Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences
Undergraduate Research Opportunity Description
| Project Description | For this summer project, the student will work on improving our single-cell omics simulator, scDesign3 (Nature Biotechnology 2024). The student will add new functions for the existing R package and expand the current model to other types of data, such as proteomics or spatial multi-omics. |
| Project Direction | We are a computational group working on developing novel methods and software for analyzing “omics” data by combining statistics, machine learning, and bioinformatics. This project will help people generate more realistic simulations for single-cell omics and enhance the interpretability of cell heterogeneity. Eventually, we aim to learn real-world omics data and make a universal generative model. |
| Mentorship and Supervision | The student will work directly with Dr. Song. We will have weekly one-on-one meeting and the student will also attend our regular group meeting. I will meet with the student in the lab space to answer questions/provide instructions. The student will present the project to the lab at the end of the summer. |
| Student Qualifications | Courses in basic statistics and/or computer science. Students should have programming experience in R since they will be working on R package development. Knowledge of genomics is not required but preferred. |
| Summer Schedule Options | Research Dates: May 19 to July 25, 2025 Schedule: To be arranged within schedule parameters of M-F, 9am-5pm, but it is flexible. Remote work is also possible under appropriate supervision. |
| Project Continuation | Fall 2025, Spring 2026 |
| Academic Year Time Commitment | 6-9 hours/week |
| Possible Thesis Project | Yes |
Application
Submit an online application for this research opportunity at https://quest.uconn.edu/prog/HRPSU25-28. The application deadline is Monday, February 17, 2025.
This application requires a resume or CV, an unofficial transcript, GPA minimum of 3.3, and a brief statement of research interests. References should be available upon request.