Mathematical Methods for Next Generation Sequencing

Novel mathematical and statistical methods will be developed to analyse the genomic data generated by emerging high throughput sequencing technologies. As improved platforms are reducing the cost of DNA sequencing exponentially, the huge quantities of data generated will need to be properly analysed and interpreted. This research will concentrate on two fundamental and important areas: development of physico-chemical models and development of appropriate statistical models. Problems addressed include the measurement of which genes are expressed in samples extracted from cells in specific situations, determining which part of a genome is transcribed from DNA to RNA, and what functions are performed by each transcribed RNA segment.