Dr. Leroy Hood, MD, PhD
President and Co-founder, ISB; SVP & CSO, Providence St. Joseph Health
The founder and President of Institute of Systems Biology. Hood was involved in the development of six instruments critical for contemporary biology—namely, automated DNA sequencers, DNA synthesizers, protein sequencers, peptide synthesizers, the ink jet printer for constructing DNA arrays and large scale synthesis of DNA and the nanostring instrument for the single molecule analysis of RNA (and later DNA).
Nitin S. Baliga, MSc, PhD
Professor, Senior Vice President and Director
Nitin Baliga develops predictive models of biological networks that catalyze strategies for personalized medicine, and a sustainable environment. Dr. Baliga is also actively engaged in HS education, bringing innovative inquiry-based curriculum on current science conceps throughout the United States.
Claudia Ludwig, MEd
Director of Systems Education Experiences
Claudia Ludwig is the director of Systems Education Experiences, where her goal is to teach students and teachers to think critically through the systems biology approach. In 2004, she came to ISB while working at International School in Bellevue, WA, and worked to develop the first two curriculum modules. Following this, Ms. Ludwig became a full time employee, becoming the director of SEE. Currently, she finds passion in watching students learn science through new ways of thinking.
Monica Orellana, MS, PhD, PI
Principal Scientist
Dr. Orellana is a Principal Scientist at the Institute of Systems Biology along with at the Science Polar Center, and the Applied Physics Lab at the University of Washington. Her background includes a bachelor's degree in Biology/Zoology, and a master's and PhD from UW. As a biological oceanographer, Dr. Orellana leads the projects at the Institute for Systems Biology involved with ocean acidification, program cell death in microbial loops, and is also involved with developing climate change curriculum.
Jacob Valenzuela, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Jacob Valenzuela works on several projects at the Institute for Systems Biology. One of his major focuses is the effect of ocean acidification on diatoms. Dr. Valenzuela works to understand what a decreased pH may mean for diatoms and the oceanic ecosystems they call home. Additionally, Dr. Valenzuela is involved in the study of green algae biofuels. Using the model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, he tries to increase lipid production from algae to provide bio-oil that can be used for more renewable transportation energy.
James Park, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow
Dr. James park is a Post Doctoral Fellow in the Baliga Lab in the Institute for Systems Biology. He works with the transcriptional data sets of other Senior Researchers and uses complex data sequencing analysis technology to read the data and how it relates to Glioblastoma. He's working on understanding and identifying what the transcription regulatory networks are that drive biological behavior in Glioblastoma, as well as what regulatory interactions are driving cellular heterogeneity within a tumor.
Lee Rowen, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
Dr. Lee Rowen was an integral researcher in the Human Genome Project, spanning from 15 years (1990-2003) and taught Philosophy at Caltech for 3 years. She's worked in Lee Hood's lab for a majority of her career and attended international meetings about the Genome Project, leading the revolutionary mapping out of the locations of genes on the human chromosome.
Eliza Peterson, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
Dr. Eliza Peterson studies mainly Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Her research aims to use network modeling, genome-wide assays, and phenotype data to better understand the extreme complexity of this disease causing bacteria. Dr. Peterson is dedicated to using the network models to understand drug resistance and how we may better treat tuberculosis in the future.
Abrar Abidi
Post Baccalaureate Fellow
Abrar Abidi earned his BS in Physics from Reed College and now serves as a Post-baccalaureate fellow in ISB’s new Fellows Program. He is currently studying Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in the Baliga Lab, where he seeks to discover how the genes of such bacterium behave when entering and emerging from a hypoxic environment.
Annie Otwell, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Annie Otwell works on the ENIGMA project studying subsurface microbial communities and their processes. Currently, Annie is looking into nitrate-reducing bacteria found from a contaminated sight of sediments. In her experiments, Annie hopes to create successful synthetic microbial communities that may be able to address environmental questions.
Matt Wall, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Matt Wall studies the transcriptional regulatory networks of cancer in order to understand a patient's predicted response to a variety of therapies and assess their risk of progression. This type of research helps to promote a rational approach to finding the best treatment for a cancer patient and a way to discover new therapies for modulating gene regulation.