University of Florida · EngineeringThe Pangenomic Nexus
Christina Boucher · Gainesville, Florida
Research Focus
Dr. Christina Boucher's lab at the University of Florida focuses on advancing genome alignment techniques to better represent genetic diversity in human populations. The research aims to create a more inclusive pangenomic reference genome that can improve our understanding of complex traits and diseases like cancer, autism, and schizophrenia. By developing new algorithms and methods for alignment, the lab seeks to enhance the accuracy of genetic analysis and variant detection.
pangenomicsread alignmentgenetic variationbioinformaticsgenomic algorithmscomplex traitsreference genomevariant calling
Research Aims
4AIM 01Develop algorithms to improve pangenomic alignment accuracy.
AIM 02Create a pangenomic scoring scheme for better variant detection.
AIM 03Select subsets of genomes for optimal alignment results.
AIM 04Automate methods for user-friendly analysis of genome data.
Skills the Lab Values
algorithm developmentbioinformatics toolsgenome indexingdata analysispopulation genomicssoftware programmingstatistical modelingsequence alignmentopen-source software
Output against the department
Publications102bottom 23% of dept.214th of 278
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations2.9kbottom 22% of dept.216th of 278
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.