About
Hey! I’m Shaurita.
I’m a computational biologist building biological knowledge systems and interpretable tools for biomedical discovery.
I’m a PhD candidate in Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a member of the Center for Computational Genomics and Data Science under the mentorship of Dr. Liz Worthey.
My dissertation research examines how genetic modifiers and regulatory mechanisms may contribute to incomplete penetrance and disease heterogeneity in heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension. I use network-based and transcriptomic approaches to identify interpretable disease mechanisms and prioritize hypotheses for further investigation.
What I Work On
Biomedical data and knowledge integration
I develop tools that integrate heterogeneous biological and clinical data with structured knowledge across genes, variants, networks, and disease contexts.
Regulatory genomics and systems biology
I study how genetic variation and regulatory-network structure may shape disease heterogeneity, with an emphasis on interpretable mechanisms and testable hypotheses.
Scientific computing and research infrastructure
I build reproducible workflows and pipelines, HPC interfaces, and scientific software that make research easier to inspect, reproduce, and extend.
Selected Work
- ME/CFS Cohort Analysis rare disease genomics
- Open OnDemand HPC Dashboard research computing infrastructure
- Candidate Genetic Variants CFDE training module
- Who Owns Your DNA? genomics policy knowledge resource
Open-Source Contributions
I also contribute code, testing, packaging, documentation, and maintenance work to scientific software maintained by other groups.
OrthoEvolution · Harmonizome · SNVariome · STRIDES Subject-Sample Search · OpenOmics · edgePy
How I Work
I build computational systems that do more than produce results. I want them to expose assumptions, connect findings to supporting evidence, and generate hypotheses that scientists can inspect, challenge, and test.
My work connects computational biology, scientific software, reproducible infrastructure, biomedical data and knowledge integration, and science communication. Across these areas, I prioritize transparent methods, reusable tools, and careful distinctions between evidence and interpretation.
Selected Expertise
- Computational genomics and multi-omics
- RNA-seq, differential expression, rare-variant analysis, transcriptomic integration, phenotype analysis, data visualization, Quarto, and R Markdown
- Regulatory and systems genomics
- WGCNA, PANDA, gene regulatory network inference, transcription factor activity, graph analysis, pathway interpretation, and mechanistic hypothesis development
- Biomedical data and knowledge integration
- Knowledge graphs, multimodal biological data, biomedical APIs, structured metadata, knowledge-grounded systems, and scientific LLM tooling
- Scientific computing and research infrastructure
- Python, R, Bash, Slurm, containers, reproducible workflows and pipelines, HPC, and Open OnDemand
- Scientific software and open science
- Git, GitHub Actions, testing, packaging, documentation, reproducible environments, and open-source maintenance
Community & Science
I contribute to open-source scientific communities through BioHackathons, Datasnakes, and BioWrappers. At UAB, I established the Informatics Club’s Code, Chat, & Collab meetup and developed the club’s website. I also support teaching, mentoring, and local scientific community-building through The Carpentries, the Bioinformatics Collaborative, and BHAM R Users Group.
My science-policy and advocacy work includes the Scientist Network for Advancing Policy, SNAP’s SciPol Hackathon, and Stand Up for Science Alabama. I also write, teach, and present technical and scientific ideas for audiences with different levels of domain expertise.
Availability
I expect to complete my PhD in late 2026 and am seeking positions beginning around January 2027 in computational biology, computational genomics, systems biology, biomedical data and knowledge integration, scientific software, research software engineering, and reproducible scientific infrastructure.
I am also available for research and open-source collaborations, invited talks, workshops, hackathons, mentoring, and scientific community-building.
Selected Publications
Uncovering the genetic architecture of ME/CFS: a precision approach reveals impact of rare monogenic variation
Camille L. Birch, Brandon M. Wilk, Manavalan Gajapathy, Shaurita D. Hutchins, Gurpreet Kaur, Donna M. Brown, Tarun K. K. Mamidi, Kathleen S. Hodgin, Alp Turgut, Jarred W. Younger, Elizabeth A. Worthey
Journal of Translational Medicine, 2025
In Vitro Effects of Ligand Bias on Primate Mu Opioid Receptor Downstream Signaling
Xiao Zhang, Shaurita D. Hutchins, Bruce E. Blough, Eric J. Vallender
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(11), 3999
Outside Work
I love sports, indie films and music, and trying new bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon. I also build websites, analyze NBA stats, spend time in parks and gardens, take photographs, write poetry and short stories, and cook.
Get in Touch
If you are hiring for a role in computational biology, scientific software, biomedical data and knowledge integration, or related research—or would like to discuss a collaboration, talk, workshop, or open-source project—email me.