Computational Genomics and Systems Genetics

  • Functional and Structural Genomics
Bild Oliver Stegle

Prof. Dr. Oliver Stegle

Division Head

Our research group develops and applies computational approaches to study molecular variations and their phenotypic consequences.

An illustration of a DNA double helix is shown, formed by interconnected lines and nodes, set against a pink circular background. The design emphasizes the structure of DNA and its complexity through a network-like representation.

Our Research

How does our genetic background shape phenotypic traits or cause cancer? How are genetic and environmental factors integrated at different molecular layers, and how variable are molecular states between individual cells?

We use statistical inference and machine learning as our main tools to address these scientific questions. Growing sample sizes and technological advances demand novel analytical strategies and tools that scale to datasets with millions of observations and account for spatial and temporal dependencies. We develop foundational methods in statistics and machine learning, including efficient parameter inference in models to probe genetic associations and methods for dimensionality reduction.

Find out more about our lab at https://steglelab.org/

Research Themes

The diagram consists of two main sections (a and b). Section (a) outlines a model involving gene impairment and phenotype prediction through various modules. Section (b) illustrates the processing of annotated variants, showing how they relate to gene embedding and scoring for gene impairment.

We develop statistical methods to dissect often overlooked dimensions of the genotype-phenotype relationship, including genetic effects of rare variants and indirect genetic effects.

Team

We are an interdisciplinary and international team jointly hosted at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg. In our team we promote openness and collaboration, and value kindness in everything we do. We take pride in every single member and their achievements and are eager to foster their scientific development.

Entire Team

Open Positions

We are always looking for new talent to strengthen our team!

To apply for a postdoctoral position or PhD position in our group, please refer to the DKFZ Postdoctoral Fellowship and the DKFZ International PhD Programme. 
If you do not apply through one of the specific openings mentioned above, feel free to send your CV, a letter of motivation and ideally 2 references in a single pdf directly to Oliver Stegle. 

We are also pleased to offer opportunities for your BSc or MSc thesis or an internship in our lab. If you are interested, please contact us with a CV and a motivation letter tailored to our lab interests.

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Selected Publications

2024 - Nature Genetics

Clarke, B., Holtkamp, E., Öztürk, H., Mück, M., Wahlberg, M., Meyer, K., Munzlinger, F., Brechtmann, F., Hölzlwimmer, F. R., Lindner, J., Chen, Z., Gagneur, J., & Stegle, O.

2024 - Nature Methods

Marconato, L., Palla, G. , Yamauchi, K. A. , Virshup, I., Heidari, E., Treis, T., Toth, M., Shrestha, R. B., Vöhringer, H., Huber, W., Gerstung, M., Moore, J., Theis, F. J. , & Stegle, O.

2022 - Nature Biotechnology

Kleshchevnikov, V., Shmatko, A., Dann, E., Aivazidis, A., King, H. W., Li, T., Elmentaite, R., Lomakin, A., Kedlian, V., Gayoso, A., Jain, M. S., Park, J. S., Ramona, L., Tuck, E., Arutyunyan, A., Vento-Tormo, R., Gerstung, M., James, L., Stegle, O., Bayraktar, O. A.

2022 - Nature Methods

Velten, B., Braunger, J.M., Argelaguet, R., Arnol, D., Wirbel, J., Bredikhin, D., Zeller, G., Stegle, O

2021 - Nature Genetics

Jerber, J., Seaton, D. D., Cuomo, A. S. E., Kumasaka, N., Haldane, J., Steer, J., Patel, M., Pearce, D., Andersson, M., Bonder, M. J., Mountjoy, E., Ghoussaini, M., Lancaster, M. A., Marioni, J. C., Merkle, F. T., Gaffney, D. J., & Stegle, O.

2021 - Nature Genetics

Bonder, M. J., Smail, C., Gloudemans, M. J., Frésard, L., Jakubosky, D., D’Antonio, M., Li, X., Ferraro, N. M., Carcamo-Orive, I., Mirauta, B., Seaton, D. D., Cai, N., Vakili, D., Horta, D., Zhao, C., Zastrow, D. B., Bonner, D. E., Wheeler, M. T., Kilpinen, H., … , Stegle, O.

Get in touch with us

Bild Oliver Stegle

Prof. Dr. Oliver Stegle

Division Head
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Eva Sabine Blum

Administrative Assistant
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Kevin Domanegg

Scientific Manager
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