University of Southern California at ASHG 2026

Oct 20–24, 2026 Montréal, Canada ~7.5k attendees Website

University of Southern California brings 18 presentations from 11 research groups to ASHG 2026 in Montréal. Its program at this meeting centres on population genetics, computational methods, and clinical genetics. MancusoLab brings single-cell eQTL fine-mapping, Chiang.Lab brings Native Hawaiian genetic variation, and Gazal Lab brings evolutionary constraint research on disease architecture.

Organization	ASHG 2026 Attendance
University of Southern California Los Angeles, California	9 PhD Students · 3 Postdocs · 3 PIs · 1 Faculty
MancusoLabgithub.com/mancusolab/ma-focus Dry lab~5 people Develops computational methods integrating GWAS with gene expression, protein abundance, chromatin markers and sequencing data. Studies complex-disease mechanisms and genetic architecture across diverse human populations. 53 papers since 2024 › Improved multiancestry fine-mapping identifies cis-regulatory variants underlying molecular traits and disease risk Nature Genetics, 2025 A noncoding regulatory variant in IKZF1 increases acute lymphoblastic leukemia risk in Hispanic/Latino children Cell Genomics, 2024 Genes with differential expression across ancestries are enriched in ancestry-specific disease effects likely due to gene-by-environment interactions The American Journal of Human Genetics, 2024 Source: OpenAlex author A5029082038 7 platforms and techniques › Techniques GWAS integration with molecular phenotypes, Transcriptome-wide association study fine-mapping, Multi-ancestry molecular QTL fine-mapping, Single-cell molecular QTL mapping, Variational factor analysis, Admixture mapping, PCA variable selection Source: lab pages Currently hiring › “We are actively recruiting highly motivated graduate students and postdocs with a capable computational/quantitative background.” Source: lab positions page No funding stated	Poster Thu Oct 22 4:15 pm Part of Statistical Genetics and Genetic Epidemiology Poster Thursday Session Multi-ancestry Fine Mapping Using Continuous Genetic Similarity Exhibit & Poster Hall · Board 8427T Computational toolsIdentification of disease genesPopulation geneticsStatistical genetics Poster Thu Oct 22 4:15 pm ★ Reviewers’ Choice Part of Statistical Genetics and Genetic Epidemiology Poster Thursday Session scFM: An efficient statistical fine-mapping approach for eQTLs using large-scale single-cell data Exhibit & Poster Hall · Board 8448T Computational toolsStatistical genetics Talk Sat Oct 24 9:00 am Part of The Selection Paradox: Why Disease Variants Persist An end-to-end differentiable, inferential model of stabilizing selection for molecular quantitative traits Room 710B/Level 7 Collaborators: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Expression quantitative trait lociNatural selectionPopulation geneticsQuantitative trait
Chiang.Labchianglab.usc.edu Dry lab~12 people Generates whole-genome sequencing data and analyzes GWAS and biobank data with ARG methods and polygenic scores. Studies complex traits in Native Hawaiians and diverse populations. 28 papers since 2024 › The Promise of Inferring the Past Using the Ancestral Recombination Graph Genome Biology and Evolution, 2024 A noncoding regulatory variant in IKZF1 increases acute lymphoblastic leukemia risk in Hispanic/Latino children Cell Genomics, 2024 Imputation accuracy across global human populations The American Journal of Human Genetics, 2024 Source: OpenAlex author A5053877118 Funded by NHGRI, USC-UH Multiethnic Cohort +1 more › NHGRI, F31 predoctoral fellowship · active “Supported by a F31 predoctoral fellowship from NHGRI” USC-UH Multiethnic Cohort, T32 Postdoctoral Training Program · active “through the USC-UH Multiethnic Cohort T32 Postdoctoral Training Program” NIH · active “through NIH grants in the lab” Source: lab pages 10 platforms and techniques › Works with Whole-genome sequencing, GWAS, Array-genotyped SNPs, TOPMed imputation reference panel Techniques Ancestral recombination graphs, Polygenic risk scores, Machine-learning dietary scores, Local ancestry analysis, Demographic inference, Recombination maps Source: lab pages Currently hiring › “We currently have space and funding for one or more postdoctoral fellows in genetic epidemiology and population genetics to join our group.” Source: lab positions page	Poster Thu Oct 22 4:15 pm ★ Reviewers’ Choice Part of Evolutionary and Population Genetics Poster Thursday Session The trans-Pacific voyage that shaped the pattern of genetic variation and enrichment of functional alleles in Native Hawaiians Exhibit & Poster Hall · Board 7038T Collaborators: Stanford University Evolutionary geneticsGenomicsPopulation geneticsPopulation structure Poster Thu Oct 22 4:15 pm Part of Cancer Poster Thursday Session Preliminary cis-eQTL mapping in an ongoing multi-ethnic prostate cancer pilot study Exhibit & Poster Hall · Board 1054T Collaborators: University of Colorado Anschutz, Baylor College of Medicine CancerExpression quantitative trait lociRNA-seqGenetic epidemiology
Gazal Labgazal-lab.org/lab-members Dry lab~9 people Develops statistical methods using UK Biobank, 23andMe and functional datasets. Studies human-disease genetic architecture, selection and inflammatory disease. 24 papers since 2024 › Deciphering the impact of genomic variation on function Nature, 2024 Pervasive findings of directional selection realize the promise of ancient DNA to elucidate human adaptation bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), 2024 Vocal learning–associated convergent evolution in mammalian proteins and regulatory elements Science, 2024 Source: OpenAlex author A5042815092 Funded by NHGRI, NIGMS › NHGRI, Pathway to Independence Award · active “His work is supported by an NHGRI Pathway to Independence Award and an NIGMS Maximizing Investigators Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators.” NIGMS, Maximizing Investigators Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators · active “His work is supported by an NHGRI Pathway to Independence Award and an NIGMS Maximizing Investigators Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators.” Source: lab pages 8 platforms and techniques › Techniques population genetics, genetic epidemiology, functional genomics, S-LDSC, SNP-to-gene linking, fine-mapping, polygenic risk scores, CT-FM and CT-FM-SNP Source: lab pages Currently hiring › “We are recruiting highly motivated graduate students and postdocs with computational background.” Source: lab positions page	Poster Thu Oct 22 4:15 pm Part of Statistical Genetics and Genetic Epidemiology Poster Thursday Session Trait-specific prioritization scores leveraging cell-type-specific regulatory architecture improve fine-mapping Exhibit & Poster Hall · Board 8472T Machine learningGenome-wide association studyGene regulationComplex traits Poster Fri Oct 23 2:30 pm Part of Evolutionary and Population Genetics Poster Friday Session Time-stratified evolutionary constraint reveals distinct layers of genome function and disease architecture Exhibit & Poster Hall · Board 7037F Collaborators: Uppsala University, Broad Institute +1 more Evolutionary geneticsEvolutionNatural selectionGene regulation
Chen Laboratorylianglab.usc.edu Dry lab~6 people Develops statistical and computational methods for RNA-seq and scRNA-seq data. Uses them to study gene-expression regulation, alternative splicing and disease-associated variation. 191 papers since 2024 › A Comprehensive Review of the Mechanism and Modification Strategies of V 2 O 5 Cathodes for Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries ACS Nano, 2024 Unraveling the Influence of Solvent on Side Reactions between Formamidinium Lead Triiodide and Methylammonium Cations Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2024 An “Outer Piezoelectric and Inner Epigenetic” Logic‐Gated PANoptosis for Osteosarcoma Sono‐Immunotherapy and Bone Regeneration Advanced Materials, 2024 Source: OpenAlex author A5100334558 10 platforms and techniques › Analyzes RNA-seq, scRNA-seq, high-density tiling arrays, exon arrays Techniques alternative splicing analysis, eQTL mapping, variant identification, explainable neural networks, quantile regression, Random Forests Source: lab pages Currently hiring › “We are seeking highly motivated and skilled individuals for postdoctoral positions in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics.” Source: lab positions page No funding stated	Poster Thu Oct 22 4:15 pm Part of Late-Breaking Poster Thursday Session AlphaGenome complements TWAS for GWAS gene prioritization beyond eQTL-model coverage Exhibit & Poster Hall · Board 4001T Variant interpretationArtificial intelligenceGenome-wide association studyNon-coding RNA
Durvasula Labsites.usc.edu/durvasula Dry lab~6 people Develops statistical tools for genomic and UK Biobank data. Studies gene-environment interactions, human evolution and natural selection in disease and traits. 18 papers since 2024 › Distinct explanations underlie gene-environment interactions in the UK Biobank The American Journal of Human Genetics, 2025 Deciphering the impact of genomic variation on function Nature, 2024 Accurate inference of population history in the presence of background selection bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), 2024 Source: OpenAlex author A5051535161 5 platforms and techniques › Techniques polygenic scores, genome sequencing, deep learning models, population genomics, methylation-gene expression modeling Source: lab pages No funding stated · No openings posted	Symposium Fri Oct 23 8:20 am Part of Emergence of Complex Traits at the Intersection of Genomics, Exposomic, and Time Gene-environment interactions shape complex disease and trait architecture Room 511/Level 5
Evolutionary Biology of Physical Activity Labraichlenlab.com Wet lab~4 people Links human evolution, physical activity and health using laboratory biomechanics, epidemiology, neuroscience and field studies. Applies evolutionary models to improve health today. 62 papers since 2024 › Predictive equation derived from 6,497 doubly labelled water measurements enables the detection of erroneous self-reported energy intake Nature Food, 2025 Energy expenditure and obesity across the economic spectrum Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2025 Sedentary behavior and lifespan brain health Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 2024 Source: OpenAlex author A5038352154 Funded by National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health › National Science Foundation, Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant · February 2021 “Katie Sayre receives funding from the National Science Foundation for her Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant” National Institutes of Health, R56 grant · October 2020 “Dr. [name] is a Principal Investigator on a National Institutes of Health R56 grant” Source: lab pages 9 platforms and techniques › Runs Accelerometers, Heart-rate monitors, GPS Techniques Evolutionary genomics, Comparative biomechanics and physiology, Exercise and cognitive challenge interventions, Field studies, Human hunter-gatherers, Health and chronic-disease biomarkers Source: lab pages Currently hiring › “The Evolutionary Biology of Physical Activity Lab is accepting graduate students.” Source: lab positions page	Poster Fri Oct 23 2:30 pm Part of Evolutionary and Population Genetics Poster Friday Session Ancient Selection on the BDNF Val66Met Variant Reveals Evolutionary Insights into Human Neurological Disease Susceptibility Exhibit & Poster Hall · Board 7005F NeurogeneticsNatural selectionAncient DNAPopulation genetics
Mangul Labmangul-lab-usc.github.io Dry lab~24 people Analyzes RNA-seq, DNA-seq, TCR-Seq and metagenomic data with computational, statistical and machine-learning methods. Uses include sepsis, immunogenomics and emerging viral-variant detection. 41 papers since 2024 › Analysis of metagenomic data Nature Reviews Methods Primers, 2025 The knowns and unknowns of long COVID-19: from mechanisms to therapeutical approaches Frontiers in Immunology, 2024 Climate warming, environmental degradation and pollution as drivers of antibiotic resistance Environmental Pollution, 2024 Source: OpenAlex author A5017101305 Funded by National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health +1 more › National Science Foundation · active “Mangul Laboratory is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) grants 2041984 and 2316223” National Institutes of Health, R01AI173172 · active The NIH's standard multi-year research project grant. “the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant R01AI173172.” National Science Foundation, NSF EAGER Award “NSF EAGER Award, “EAGER: Developing a framework to identify and mitigate perceptual and technical barriers in code sharing” Source: lab pages 11 platforms and techniques › Analyzes RNA-seq, DNA-seq, TCR-Seq, Ion Torrent RNA-Seq, PacBio Techniques Computational, statistical and machine-learning models, Metagenomic classification, T-cell receptor repertoire profiling, Wastewater genomic surveillance, DNA methylation analysis, Sepsis mortality prediction Source: lab pages Currently hiring › “We are actively recruiting highly motivated graduate students and postdocs with a capable computational background.” Source: lab positions page	Talk Sat Oct 24 8:15 am Part of The Selection Paradox: Why Disease Variants Persist Why do high-effect common variants persist in human populations? Room 710B/Level 7 Evolutionary geneticsComplex traitsNatural selectionPopulation genetics
Shu Lab at USCaprilshulab.com Dry lab~8 people Uses machine learning and statistical approaches on genetic, clinical, neuroimaging, single-cell RNA-seq and spatial transcriptomics data. Applies these to autism and neurodevelopmental disorders. 30 papers since 2024 › Unlocking High‐Speed and Energy‐Efficiency: Integrated Convolution Processing on Thin‐Film Lithium Niobate Laser & Photonics Review, 2025 Climate factors associated with cancer incidence: An ecological study covering 33 cancers from population-based registries in 37 countries PLOS Climate, 2024 Human parasitic infections of the class Adenophorea: global epidemiology, pathogenesis, prevention and control Infectious Diseases of Poverty, 2024 Source: OpenAlex author A5100723541 Funded by Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center › Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center, pilot grant · active “Our lab received the pilot grant from Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center.” Source: lab pages 11 platforms and techniques › Analyzes single-cell RNA-seq, spatial transcriptomics, methylation capture sequencing, Infinium MethylationEPIC array, ChIP-Seq Techniques machine learning, single-cell transcriptomics, DNA methylation, histone modification, single-cell multiomics, GWAS Source: lab pages No openings posted	Poster Wed Oct 21 2:30 pm Part of Complex Traits and Polygenic Disorders Poster Wednesday Session Rare CNV burden and Heritability of Machine Learning-Derived Autism Subtypes Exhibit & Poster Hall · Board 8315W Collaborators: Boston Children's Hospital, Saban Research Institute AutismComplex traitsGenetic epidemiologyGenotype-phenotype correlations
Center for Genetic Epidemiologykeck.usc.edu/genetic-epidemiology-center Dry lab~11 people Develops statistical methods for GWAS, next-generation sequencing, DNA methylation, gene expression and proteomics data. Studies genetic risk and disease disparities across multiethnic populations. 230 papers since 2024 › Author Correction: A genomic mutational constraint map using variation in 76,156 human genomes Nature, 2024 Genome-wide association analyses of breast cancer in women of African ancestry identify new susceptibility loci and improve risk prediction Nature Genetics, 2024 Understanding the genetic complexity of puberty timing across the allele frequency spectrum Nature Genetics, 2024 Source: OpenAlex author A5063459619 Funded by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency +1 more › National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Center for Integrative Research on Childhood Leukemia and the Environment (CIRCLE) · active “CIRCLE is a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency–funded program project” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Integrative Research on Childhood Leukemia and the Environment (CIRCLE) · active “CIRCLE is a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency–funded program project” National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Trans-omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) · active “The TOPMed program, which is supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute” Source: lab pages 13 platforms and techniques › Analyzes Genome-wide association studies (GWAS), Next-generation sequencing, Whole-exome sequencing, Whole-genome sequencing, Genotyping arrays, DNA methylation, Proteomics measurements, Metabolomics Techniques Fine-mapping, Polygenic risk score analyses, Bayesian variable selection, Integrative genomic analyses, Demographic inference Source: lab pages Currently hiring › “Faculty recruitment in the center is underway” Source: lab positions page	Session Thu Oct 22 11:00 am Cancer Susceptibility: Germline Effects on Risk, Mechanisms, and Mutations Room 710B/Level 7
Campbell Lab Works in population genetics and computational genetics.	Poster Thu Oct 22 4:15 pm Part of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Poster Thursday Session CHIASMA Improves Fine-Scale Recombination Inference and Haplotype-Based Selection Discovery in Diverse Human Populations Exhibit & Poster Hall · Board 8055T BioinformaticsMachine learningComputational toolsEvolutionary genetics Poster Thu Oct 22 4:15 pm Part of Evolutionary and Population Genetics Poster Thursday Session Ancient Selection and a Shared Ancestral Polymorphism Shape Type 2 Diabetes Risk in North African Populations Exhibit & Poster Hall · Board 7006T Collaborators: Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Umm al-Qura University Evolutionary geneticsDiabetesGene environment interactionNatural selection
Division of Biostatistics and Health Data Science Works in population genetics.	Talk Thu Oct 22 8:30 am Part of New Adventures in Molecular Trait Mapping Scalable fine-mapping of single-cell eQTL data using variational count-based models Room 520ABDE/Level 5 Collaborators: University of Pennsylvania, Broad Institute Single-cellGenetic mappingExpression quantitative trait lociLinkage disequilibrium
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