NEWS

Dr. F. Alex Feltus, Professor of Genetics and Biochemistry at Clemson will give the next lecture in Louisiana Tech University’s New Frontiers in Biomedical Research Series.

Feltus’ presentation, titled “21st Century (Q1-Q2) Bio-Computing: Systems, Algorithms, Data, Science” will be held at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 16 in University Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

“We are delighted to host Dr. Feltus on our campus. His expertise in bioinformatics and cyberinfrastructure aligns well with Louisiana Tech’s sustained focus on interdisciplinary computing, with emerging applications in biomedical engineering and biological discovery;” said Dr. Sumeet Dua, Associate Vice President for Research and Partnerships. “His visit and seminar will benefit a wide variety of students and research faculty on Tech’s campus as we continue to build capabilities and collaborations in these areas.”

Feltus earned a BSc in Biochemistry from Auburn University in 1992, served two years in the Peace Corps, and then completed his PhD in cell biology at Vanderbilt University in 2000. From 2000-02, Feltus was an ACS Postdoctoral Fellow at Emory University.

Since 2002, he has performed research in bioinformatics, high-performance computing, cyberinfrastructure, network biology, genome assembly, systems genetics, paleogenomics, and bioenergy feedstock genetics. Currently, Feltus is a Professor in Clemson University’s Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, CEO of Allele Systems LLC, Core Faculty in the CU-MUSC Biomedical Data Science and Informatics (BDSI) program, member of the Center for Human Genetics, and serves on the Internet2 Board of Trustees as well as various “Advance Research Computing” engagement workgroups.

Feltus has published numerous scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals focusing on research in software engineering and computational biology techniques to make useful molecular discoveries in human and plant biological systems. Specifically, the research in his lab centers on the transcriptome layer (RNA) of gene expression while also seeking methods to integrate data from other genome information orbitals. Feltus’s research team also engineers advanced computing systems and technologies to run genomics workflows that enable small labs to perform innovative computational biology.

Feltus’s seminar is part of the 2019-20 New Frontiers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series. The series is an interdisciplinary lecture series that focuses on advancements in the fields of biomedical engineering, biology, biochemistry, and physics. The series strives to foster an understanding of human health and disease by bringing renown researchers to campus to for faculty, students, and members of the Ruston community to interact with.

All New Frontiers in Biomedical Research seminars are free and open to the public. Seminars are followed by a reception to meet the speaker. For more information on the series contact Dr. Jamie Newman at jjnewman@latech.edu or Dr. Mary Caldorera-Moore at mcmoore@latech.edu.