New Director to Advance NIGMS Computational
Biology Efforts
Karin Remington, Ph.D., a leader in genomics research and the
development of computational tools, today begins her new position
as director of the Center for Bioinfomatics and Computational Biology
(CBCB) at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS),
a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Remington will oversee more than 1,300 research and training grants
totaling about $89 million to support projects that join biology
with computer sciences, engineering, mathematics, and physics.
Research activities range from software development to modeling
and simulation, computational genomics, database design, and high-throughput
data. CBCB also oversees NIH’s Biomedical Information Science and
Technology Initiative and partners with the National Science Foundation
(NSF) to support research and training in mathematical biology.
“To take advantage of all the data being generated by today’s
biological scientists, we need to develop the tools and methods
that synthesize this information into new understanding of basic
biology and, ultimately, human health,” said NIGMS Director Jeremy
M. Berg, Ph.D. “Karin Remington has the skills and vision to contribute
greatly to these endeavors.”
Before joining NIH, Remington served as the project manager for
the National Ecological Observatory Network, or NEON, Inc., a $300
million effort supported by NSF to construct ecological data collection
facilities across the contiguous United States, Hawaii, Alaska,
and Puerto Rico. As vice president of bioinformatics research at
The Venter Institute from 2002 to 2006, she led an NIH-supported
large-scale genome sequencing production center and spearheaded
a traveling laboratory-based educational program for public school
students in Washington, D.C. At Celera Genomics from 1999 to 2002,
Remington developed mathematical methods and computation leading
to the completed sequences of the fruit fly, human, and mouse genomes.
“Computational biology faces the challenge of bringing together
different disciplines in effective and energizing ways,” said Remington. “With
its cross-cutting nature, CBCB has the ability to coordinate and
foster this interdisciplinary synergy.”
Existing interdisciplinary programs under CBCB that Remington
will oversee include the Models of Infectious Disease Agent Study,
which builds computer models to improve the detection, control,
and prevention of emerging infectious diseases; the National Centers
for Systems Biology, which focus on the systems-level analysis
of biological phenomena; and the National Centers for Biomedical
Computing, an NIH Roadmap for Medical Research initiative to develop
and implement a universal computing infrastructure for the biomedical
research community.
Remington graduated magna cum laude in 1985 from the
College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University in her home state
of Minnesota and in 1991 received a doctorate in mathematics from
the University of Kentucky. She completed postdoctorate work at
the University of Minnesota and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
She is a member of numerous professional societies, including the
American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American
Association of University Women.
To arrange an interview with CBCB Director Karin Remington, Ph.D.,
contact the NIGMS Office of Communications and Public Liaison at
301-496-7301.
A high-resolution photograph of Remington is available at http://www.nigms.nih.gov/About/Remington.htm.
NIGMS (http://www.nigms.nih.gov)
supports basic biomedical research that is the foundation for advances
in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and
Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting
and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and
its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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