Mary Thompson

I train researchers how to process and interpret their genomics data as part of the Oxford Biomedical Data Science training programme. My research focuses on transcriptional regulation during brain development, with a view to better understanding the effect of genetic variants in neurological disorders.

Transcriptional regulation during brain development

Brain development is a complex process that generates thousands of distinct cell types which are wired together in a precise way. The cerebellum is a distinct region of the brain that has functions in motor control. We are interested in understanding how the non-coding regions of the genome control the development of the cerebellum and how sequence variants in these non-coding regions can disrupt gene regulation and contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders. To identify and characterize the regulatory regions that control cerebellar development, we are analyzing genome-wide datasets collected from bulk and single-cell samples of mammalian cerebellum. In particular, single-cell open chromatin profiles provide a glimpse into the epigenetic remodelling that occurs during cerebellar development. By integrating chromatin accessibility data with other modalities such as single-cell RNA sequencing, chromosome conformation capture, and transcription factor binding sites, we aim to delineate the role of the non-coding genome at different stages of development and in different cell types.

Biography

I obtained my undergraduate degree in biochemistry and cell biology at Rice University, USA. I pursued my PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, where I worked with Wendy Gilbert on my thesis exploring the functions of specific ribosomal proteins in translational control. I then did a postdoc in the lab of Ilan Davis at the University of Oxford, UK, where I studied the regulation of RNA metabolism during fruit fly brain development and in synaptic plasticity. Throughout my PhD and postdoc, my research combined experimental work with computation, and I developed a passion for genomics data analysis and reproducible research. I have also worked as a bioinformatician in the private sector where I helped support R&D efforts by analyzing genomics data. In my current position, I am helping to train new computational biologists as part of the Oxford Biomedical Data Science Training Programme. My research is focused on regulation driven by non-coding regions of the genome during brain development using single-cell genomics data.