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Nikhita Damaraju

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I am a fourth-year PhD candidate at the University of Washington’s Institute for Public Health Genetics, working in the Miller lab. My research interests lie at the intersection of bioinformatics, statistical genetics, and health economics, with a focus on advancing translational research. My dissertation centers on evaluating long-read sequencing for clinical care and developing applications that leverage this technology to improve patient outcomes.

Throughout my academic journey, I’ve engaged in diverse projects that bridge disciplines like statistics, genetics, cancer biology, biochemistry, machine learning, and public health. I am passionate about using these interdisciplinary skills to drive innovations in precision medicine.

Beyond research, I enjoy hiking, kayaking, and playing the violin.


Education

  • University of Washington School of Public Health | PhD in Public Health Genetics | 2022 - present
  • Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health | M.S in Biostatistics-Statistical Genetics | 2020 - 2022

  • Indian Institute of Technology Madras | B.S-M.S in Biological Sciences-Computational Biology | 2015-2020


Experience

  • UW School of Medicine | Research Assistant | January 2023 - present

  • UW School of Pharmacy | Biostatistician | March 2023 - September 2023

  • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | Research Assistant | February 2022 - September 2022

  • Inflammatix inc. | Computational Biology intern | August 2021 - September 2021

  • Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center | Research Assistant | October 2020 - April 2022

  • Stanford University School of Medicine | Summer intern | May 2019 - August 2019

  • Stanford University School of Medicine | Summer intern | May 2018 - August 2018

  • Tata Institute of Fundamental Research | Summer intern | May 2017 - August 2017


News

  • I will be moderating a session for AI in Genomics and presenting a poster on LRSxIBD at the American Society of Human Genetics meeting 2024 in Boston. | October 2025

  • Gave a talk on how to stay organized in grad school using Notion for the Institute for Public Genetics Retreat 2025 | September 2025

  • I successfully passed my PhD general exam (proposal defense)! | February 2025

  • I was interviewed as a part of the ‘Promising Young Scientist’ series by Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine. Read more: Article | January 2025

  • Our latest manuscript showing the concordance of whole genome nanopore sequencing with standard clinical testing for Prader-Willi and Angelman syndrome is now online at the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. Read more: Paper | December 2024

  • Analysis of the first 100 genomes sequenced as a part of the 1000 Genomes ONT Sequencing Consortium is published in Genome Research! Read more: Paper | November 2024

  • I spent a week as a TA for the Computational Genomics 2024 course at Cold Spring Harbor, NY | November 2024

  • Presented a poster on my phasing work using 1000G-ONT data at the American Society of Human Genetics meeting 2024 in Denver, CO. | November 2024