OMA Scientific Advisory Board

To complement advice provided by the SIB scientific advisory board, which reviews the progress of OMA every other year, the dedicated OMA SAB plays a vital role in guiding the direction and development of the Orthologous Matrix (OMA), our comprehensive database and method for orthology inference, available at https://omabrowser.org. It comprises esteemed experts in comparative genomics, agricultural research/biotechnology, and big database management, and provide invaluable insights to ensure that OMA remains a cutting-edge resource with high usability and impact for biologists.

The dedicated OMA SAB meets every year, with odd years being a half-day event online and even years being a full day event in-person in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Current members

Dr Claire Yanhui Hu

Claire Yanhui Hu
Director of Bioinformatics, Harvard Medical School

As an accomplished leader in bioinformatics of mammalian and Drosophila systems, Dr. Hu's expertise and perspective will help shape the future direction of OMA. With a focus on creating bioinformatics tools that are not only relevant but also highly usable and impactful, Dr. Hu's contributions will significantly enhance OMA's functionality and value for our users.

Dr. Elspeth Bruford

Dr. Elspeth Bruford
HGNC Group Coordinator, EMBL-EBI & University of Cambridge

Dr. Bruford is a PI at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, as well as the Group Coordinator for the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee. She is an expert in genome annotation, gene family curation, comparative genomics, and evolutionary biology, in addition to playing a critical role in the ortholog community’s benchmarking efforts. Her experience and advice will help to improve not only the OMA methodology, but also its applications.

Dr. Aoife McLysaght

Dr Aoife McLysaght
Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin

Dr. Aoife McLysaght, an Irish geneticist and professor at the Smurfit Institute of Genetics at Trinity College Dublin, specializes in the field of molecular evolution. Her research focuses on topics such as horizontal gene transfer, the reconstruction of ancestral genomes, and synteny. With her expertise, she will offer valuable insights and guidance to OMA in these areas.

SAB Meeting 22. March 2024

On March 23, 2024, a first virtual SAB meeting took place. The OMA team and the Scientific Advisory Board member discussed together the ongoing projects and the possible future directions.

There will be more information about the OMA Scientific Advisory Board coming soon. As the board takes shape, we will provide updates on their expertise and background, highlighting the diverse perspectives that will enrich the OMA project. Keep an eye on this page for announcements, introductions, and insights from our esteemed Scientific Advisory Board members.

Together with our members, we are committed to advancing OMA, ensuring it remains a cutting-edge resource at the forefront of orthology inference.