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Problem Statement

Clearly articulating your problem sets the foundation for hypothesis generation, methodological decisions, and project relevance. This section should state the core research question in precise, technical terms.

Core Question

  • What specific biological or computational question are you trying to answer?
    • Example: “Can regulatory variant burden in immune-modulating genes explain unaffected carrier status in heritable PAH?”

Scientific Context

  • What is known or debated about this problem?
  • Why is this question unresolved or insufficiently answered by existing methods or data?
  • Are there specific gaps in modeling, inference, interpretability, or integration?

Timeliness and Relevance

  • Why is this problem pressing now (e.g., new data availability, unmet clinical need, recent methodological advances)?
  • What downstream implications would solving this problem have for science, health, or technology?

Fit and Scope

  • What boundary conditions define this project (e.g., organism, disease model, data type)?
  • How does the question align with broader themes in the field (e.g., rare variant interpretation, multimodal integration)?
  • Are there specific populations, datasets, or mechanistic contexts that are particularly relevant?