Jackson Laboratory

The Robinson Lab

Principal Investigator: Peter Robinson, M.D., MSc.

The Jackson Laboratory
Farmington, CT

Contact me at: 860-837-2095

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Develops algorithms and software for the analysis of exome and genome sequences.

The Robinson Lab is primarily located at The Jackson Laboratory. Together with the Phenomics Team, our group develops the Human Phenotype Ontology and applications of this ontology to differential diagnostics and genomics analyses.

We develop algorithms for exome and genome sequencing, ChIP-seq, immunogenomics, and other genomics applications, Gene Ontology analysis, computational phenotype analysis, as well as various algorithms from the fields of Machine Learning and modeling of biological networks with the tools of linear algebra and graph theory. We also collaborate on the computational analysis of wetlab biological data, especially in the fields of human hereditary disease and the molecular basis of bone development and fracture healing.

Robinson Lab on Github

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Open Positions

Job	Job Title	Location	Description

Lab Staff

Hannah Blau, Ph.D.

Research Software Engineer

Applies machine learning and text mining techniques to the analysis and curation of the Human Phenotype Ontology and other ontologies under development in the Robinson Lab.
Leigh Carmody, Ph.D.

Scientific Curator

R. Leigh Carmody, PhD, obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Biology with a minor in Chemistry in May 1997 from Bryn Mawr College. After a short hiatus, Dr. Carmody started her doctoral work at Vanderbilt University.
Peter Hansen, Ph.D.

Bioinformatics Analyst I

Develops software that implements statistical and algorithmic approaches to analyze and integrate immunoprofile and metagenomic data.
Kristen Mulvey

Research Administrative Assistant I

Provides administrative support to Drs. Verhaak, Oh and Robinson along with their scientific staff.
Vida Ravanmehr, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

Machine learning, Translational bioinformatics, Big data, Deep learning
Peter Robinson, M.D., MSc.

Professor of Computational Biology

Develops algorithms and software for the analysis of exome and genome sequences.
Xingmin "Aaron" Zhang, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

Patient deep phenotyping from various data types in electronic health records; phenotype- and genomic-based disease modeling and algorithm development for translational research and differential diagnoses

Selected Publications

Highlighted Abstract

There are many thousands of hereditary diseases in humans, each of which has a specific combination of phenotypic features, but computational analysis of phenotypic data has been hampered by lack of adequate computational data structures. Therefore, we have developed a Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) with over 8000 terms representing individual phenotypic anomalies and have annotated all clinical entries in Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man with the terms of the HPO. We show that the HPO is able to capture phenotypic similarities between diseases in a useful and highly significant fashion.

View full list of publications

Research HighlightOctober 31, 2019
Improving transgene research with split selectable markers
JAX Assistant Professor Albert Cheng led a team to develop split selectable markers, a method that can indicate the successful integration of multiple transgenes.
Featured ArticleOctober 28, 2019
Cancer researchers embrace AI to accelerate development of precision medicine
Using Microsoft AI, The Jackson Laboratory is empowering researchers and medical professionals with a powerful digital encyclopedia that has the potential to change the way we study and treat cancer.
Research HighlightSeptember 20, 2019
An epigenetic eraser
The genome editing tool, Casilio, can be used to efficiently remove methyl groups from DNA and activate expression of methylation-silenced genes in experimental systems. Casilio was created by Jackson Laboratory Assistant Professor Albert Cheng.
Research HighlightAugust 21, 2019
The future of human and experimental genetics
This year, science luminaries came to Maine for an additional special symposium that celebrated the McKusick Short Course's 60th anniversary. The symposium title, “The Future of Human and Experimental Genetics,” foreshadowed the theme of the talks.

Blog PostOctober 28, 2019
New US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations
The USPSTF updated this important screening recommendation in August, 2019. It now recommends screening for potentially harmful BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations in women with a personal or family history of breast, ovarian, tubal, or peritoneal cancer or an ancestry associated with BRCA1/2 gene mutations.
Search MagazineOctober 02, 2019
Maximizing research potential
Six JAX early-career faculty members receive major grant awards.
Search MagazineSeptember 04, 2019
Computing the etiology of cancer
What if, much like screening through genetic testing, we could learn how to better treat individual patients through their unique epigenetic markers? This is the question that Assistant Professor Sheng Li, Ph.D. tackles in her lab every day.
Research HighlightAugust 21, 2019
The long-term maintenance of sperm production in mammals
A research team led by Professor and Janeway Distinguished Chair Robert Braun, Ph.D., and Associate Research Scientist Manju Sharma, Ph.D., found a rare subpopulation of spermatogonial cells expressing a specific protein, EOMES, that appear to represent the elusive long-lived spermatogonial stem cells that support continued spermatogenesis.