)
)
The Festival of Genomics, Biodata & AI keynote speakers are all world-leaders in their field, invited for their impact and pioneering, innovative work. Expect to be inspired, educated and also leave these sessions with useful insights and practical tactics and strategies that will make a difference to your work.
)
Panel Discussion: Reading & Rewriting Life: A Reflection on the Impact of The Human Genome Project, and The Future of Genomics
George Church is recognized for his significant contributions to the Human Genome Project and for developing the first direct genomic sequencing method. His research has led to advancements in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies and various applications in genetic engineering. In 2017, he was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine, and he continues to be a leading figure in the fields of genetics and biotechnology.
Church's work has not only impacted scientific research but has also raised important discussions around bioethics, privacy, and the future of genetic engineering. As of 2025, he has taken on the role of Chief Scientist at Lila Sciences, an AI agent platform startup, further expanding his influence in the intersection of technology and biology.
)
Session: The AI-Driven Future of Health: From Genomes to Wearables and Predictive Wellness
Few scientists have shaped modern biology as profoundly as Leroy Hood. A pioneer of systems biology, Hood co-founded the Institute for Systems Biology and has long championed a predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory model of healthcare.
Hood’s innovations include co-inventing the automated DNA sequencer - a foundational technology for the Human Genome Project - and advancing the integration of big data, biology, and medicine. Today, through Phenome Health, he is working to transform healthcare from reactive disease treatment to proactive health optimization.
His career spans decades of transformative impact, yet his focus remains resolutely future-facing. Hood’s vision challenges traditional boundaries between disciplines and calls for a data-driven reinvention of medicine itself. Hearing him speak at FOG Boston means engaging with one of the architects of modern genomics - and a relentless advocate for its next evolution.
Stacey Gabriel
Executive Vice President, Platforms and Scientific Execution, Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard
)
Panel Discussion: Multi-Modal Data at Scale: Discovery, Governance, and Trust
Stacey Gabriel is a driving force behind some of the world’s most ambitious genomics efforts. As Executive Vice President of Platforms and Scientific Execution at the Broad Institute, she oversees large-scale genomic programs that have generated foundational datasets for human disease research.
Gabriel has played a central role in population-scale sequencing initiatives, advancing technologies that make high-throughput, high-quality genomics possible at unprecedented scale. Her leadership has enabled discoveries across cancer, rare disease, and complex trait genetics.
Known for operational excellence and scientific rigor, Gabriel ensures that bold ideas translate into executable, impactful science. She represents the critical bridge between innovation and implementation — where transformative genomic insights are made possible through robust platforms and collaborative execution.
)
Session: AI for Genomic Medicine: A Multimodal Deep Learning Journey from Molecules to Single Cells
At the frontier of artificial intelligence and human biology, Manolis Kellis is redefining how we decode the genome. As a Professor at MIT and a core member of the Broad Institute, Kellis has pioneered computational approaches that reveal how genetic variation shapes disease, helping translate DNA sequences into functional insight.
Kellis is known for bringing together machine learning, evolutionary biology, and large-scale genomics to answer some of medicine’s hardest questions. His research doesn’t just generate data - it builds the frameworks that make that data meaningful. For anyone interested in AI-driven biology, functional genomics, or the next era of precision medicine, Kellis offers a rare combination of technical brilliance and biological vision.
)
Panel Discussion: From Hype to Translational Value: AI & Machine Learning Powering Precision Drug Discovery
Justin Scheer is helping reshape drug discovery for the AI era. As Vice President of In Silico Discovery at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, he leads efforts to integrate computational modeling, data science, and machine learning directly into therapeutic innovation pipelines.
Scheer’s work sits at the critical intersection of biology and predictive modeling - where algorithms guide target selection, molecular design, and decision-making long before compounds reach the clinic. By embedding advanced analytics into early discovery, he is accelerating timelines and increasing the probability of success in areas of high unmet need.
His perspective offers a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the world’s largest pharma companies are transforming R&D through AI-enabled discovery.
)
Panel Discussion: From Hype to Translational Value: AI & Machine Learning Powering Precision Drug Discovery
Justin H. Johnson builds the AI and data platforms that power oncology R&D at AstraZeneca. As Executive Director of Oncology Data Science, he leads a multidisciplinary organization of engineers, data scientists, AI specialists, and product managers delivering an integrated platform ecosystem, from FAIR data foundations to agentic AI execution, that researchers use daily to accelerate cancer drug development.
Johnson’s career spans two decades of turning scientific ambition into scalable infrastructure, from early large-scale genomic sequencing at the J. Craig Venter Institute to enterprise AI at AstraZeneca. He represents a hands-on model of R&D technology leadership: working closely with scientific visionaries, operationalizing their needs into platforms, and scaling through great engineering teams. For those interested in how AI platforms are tangibly reshaping drug discovery from the inside, his perspective bridges strategy and implementation.
)
Panel Discussion: Multi-Modal Data at Scale: Discovery, Governance, and Trust
Melina Claussnitzer is redefining how we understand the genetic architecture of metabolic disease. As Director of the Broad Diabetes Initiative and faculty at Massachusetts General Hospital, she combines computational genomics with functional biology to uncover how non-coding variants influence disease risk.
Her research has provided groundbreaking insight into obesity and type 2 diabetes, moving beyond association studies to pinpoint causal mechanisms and biological pathways. Claussnitzer’s work exemplifies the next phase of genomics — turning statistical signals into mechanistic understanding.
By integrating AI-driven analysis with experimental validation, she bridges big data and molecular function. Her approach not only deepens our understanding of complex disease but also highlights new therapeutic opportunities. For audiences interested in the functional interpretation of genetic variation, you won’t want to miss her contributions to the panel.
)
Panel Discussion: Multi-Modal Data at Scale: Discovery, Governance, and Trust
As Global Head of Discovery Sciences at Novartis, John Tallarico oversees the technologies, platforms, and scientific capabilities that power early-stage therapeutic innovation across multiple disease areas.
Tallarico’s career has centred on translating cutting-edge science into viable drug candidates, integrating chemical biology, screening technologies, and data-driven approaches to improve discovery success rates. His leadership ensures that foundational research capabilities remain aligned with strategic therapeutic priorities.
Operating at the intersection of technology, biology, and organizational scale, Tallarico brings a pragmatic view of how discovery science must evolve to meet rising expectations for speed and precision.
)
Panel Discussion: Multi-Modal Data at Scale: Discovery, Governance, and Trust
Woody Sherman is a pioneer of computational drug discovery and AI-driven molecular design. As Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of PsiThera, he continues a career dedicated to transforming how medicines are conceived and optimized.
Previously instrumental in advancing physics-based modeling and structure-guided design in industry, Sherman has helped integrate computational chemistry into mainstream pharmaceutical R&D. His work has shaped approaches to small-molecule design, predictive modeling, and simulation-based discovery.
At PsiThera, he focuses on applying advanced computational methods to unlock new therapeutic possibilities with greater efficiency and precision. His perspective offers a forward-looking vision on how AI and molecular modeling are reshaping the future of drug discovery.
Sorin Istrail
James A. & Julie N. Brown Professor of Computational and Mathematical Sciences, Brown University
)
Panel Discussion: Reading & Rewriting Life: A Reflection on the Impact of The Human Genome Project, and The Future of Genomics
Before joining Brown, he was the Senior Director and then Head of Informatics Research at Celera Genomics, where his group played a central role in the construction of the Sequence of the Human Genome; they co-authored the 2001 Science paper "The Sequence of the Human Genome," which, with over 9500 citations to date, is one of the most cited scientific paper. His group at Celera also built a powerful suite of genome-wide algorithms that was used for the comparison of all human genome assemblies to date.
In 2002 his Celera group in collaboration with the company ClearForrest won the ACM KDD Cup the top international data mining/machine learning competition for automatic annotation of the Drosophila genome.
In 2003 he joined the ranks of Applied Biosystems Science Fellows, one of just six Science Fellows in a company of 800 scientists. Before Celera, Professor Istrail founded and led the Computational Biology Project at Sandia National Laboratories (1992-2000). In 2000, he obtained the negative solution (computational intractability) of a 50 years old unresolved problem in statistical mechanics, the Three-Dimensional Ising Model Problem. This work was included in the Top 100 Most Important Discoveries of the U.S. Department of Energy's first 25 years, and as the 7th top achievement in Scientific Computing.
)
Panel Discussion: Reading & Rewriting Life: A Reflection on the Impact of The Human Genome Project, and The Future of Genomics
Mark Adams, Ph.D., leads the clinical and research genomics services that provide access to next-generation sequencing platforms for JAX researchers. The CAP-accredited Advanced Precision Medicine Laboratory offers genetic testing to patients in the context of cancer and rare diseases.
Adams was a co-founder of The Institute for Genomic Research and Celera Genomics where he led the DNA sequencing and genome annotation groups responsible for sequencing of the initial human, mouse, and Drosophila genomes. He then joined the Department of Genetics at Case Western Reserve University, where he was an associate professor. Prior to joining JAX, he was the scientific director and professor at the J. Craig Venter Institute where he directed programs that characterized genomic changes in the evolution of antibiotic resistance in hospital-acquired infections.
Aziz Al'Khafaji
Director, Molecular R&D PI, Methods Development Lab, Genomics Platform, Broad Clinical Labs, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
)
Streamlining High-Throughput Methods Development Utilizing the icon96 System and AutoNorm — From Single-Cell to Bulk Applications
Dr. Al’Khafaji’s group overcomes long-standing resolution barriers by jointly developing innovative molecular and computational methods that capture and analyze complex biological features. This approach has been particularly impactful in the isoform discovery space, where his group has developed novel long-read RNA sequencing methods that resolve complete transcript structures, providing unprecedented insight into the role of alternative splicing in both health and disease.