Irving Institute for Cancer Dynamics

The greatest joy of academia is the opportunity to work alongside phenomenally talented rising stars: @lingting-shi.bsky.social @mingxz.bsky.social Aaron Zweig and many more not pictured here ☺️ Thank you @cancerdynamics.bsky.social for supporting us!

@elhamazizi.bsky.social, @bimidu.bsky.social, @khanhndinh.bsky.social, @columbiacancer.bsky.social
@columbiamed.bsky.social ed.bsky.social

A person filming two people

Elham Azizi pointing to a white board

A person filming two people at a desk

Two people in a lab

🎥 BTS from our #JSM2025 film shoot!
Yesterday we shared the final cut—today, we’re rewinding to those candid behind-the-scenes moments 🎬
Thank you to the @websedgescience.bsky.social sEdgeScience crew for capturing our work so thoughtfully!
#CancerGenomics #ScientificStorytelling

@elhamazizi.bsky.social @bimidu.bsky.social @khanhndinh.bsky.social @columbiacancer.bsky.social @columbiamed.bsky.social

Still shot of the JSM film.

🎥 We’re featured on JSM TV at the 2025 Joint Statistical Meeting!
Watch our new film highlighting IICD’s mission, the incredible work of our researchers, and how we’re using math + stats to advance cancer science.
youtu.be/qprt3b3T64I?...
@websedgescience.bsky.social

Joint representation and visualization of derailed cell states with Decipher - Genome Biology Biological insights often depend on comparing conditions such as disease and health. Yet, we lack effective computational tools for integrating single-cell genomics data across conditions or character...

New paper from @elhamazizi.bsky.social, @bleilab.bsky.social & @danapeer.bsky.social labs: Decipher, a deep generative model to track disease trajectories in single-cell data.
📖 Read: bit.ly/4mufVnZ @columbiaseas.bsky.social @columbiacancer.bsky.social @mskcancercenter.bsky.social

IICD August newsletter

The August issue of the IICD newsletter is out now!
🔬 Seminar updates
🌍 Travel award highlights
🧠 Alliance interns Q&As
🧬 New publications + more
Read here 👉 bit.ly/3HajkJG
#IICD #CancerResearch #STEMnews @ecolepolytechnique.bsky.social @brentstockwell.bsky.social

SRP presentations and lunch

That’s a wrap on the 2025 IICD SRP! Final presentations & a lunch closed out a summer of growth, and research. We’re so proud of our interns! @elhamazizi.bsky.social @khanhndinh.bsky.social @jlmcfalinefigueroa.bsky.social @lingting-shi.bsky.social @codyslater.bsky.social @zuckermanbrain.bsky.social

Photo collage of Peter Terranova

Wrapping up our SRP spotlight series with Peter Terranova, a rising senior @fordham.edu majoring in Biochemistry. Mentored by @khanhndinh.bsky.social , Peter is leveraging machine learning techniques to explore the dynamics of tumor evolution.
Read more: bit.ly/SRPQA2025

IICD and Alliance interns at a dinner table

The Tavaré lab gathered for a special farewell dinner to celebrate the Alliance Program interns. ✨
Thank you for spending your summer with IICD, we’re so proud of all you’ve accomplished and excited for what’s next! ✨
#AllianceProgram @polytechniqueparis.bsky.social @khanhndinh.bsky.social

Photo collage of Nawar Kazi

Next up in our intern spotlight series: Nawar Kazi, a rising junior at Hamilton College majoring in Data Science, Math, and Sociology. Mentored by Dr. Simon Tavaré, Nawar is developing computational models simulating cell population dynamics.
Read more: bit.ly/SRPQA2025 @columbiacancer.bsky.social

The IICD SRP is wrapping up soon! Yesterday, our interns presented their research at the Columbia CUPP Symposium. Huge thanks for organizing an incredible event! cc: @lingting-shi.bsky.social @elhamazizi.bsky.social @khanhndinh.bsky.social @jlmcfalinefigueroa.bsky.social @soobeomlee.bsky.social

A statistical framework for analyzing shape in a time series of random geometric objects We introduce a new framework to analyze shape descriptors that capture the geometric features of an ensemble of point clouds. At the core of our approach is the point of view that the data arises as sampled recordings from a metric space-valued stochastic process, possibly of nonstationary nature, thereby integrating geometric data analysis into the realm of functional time series analysis. Our framework allows for natural incorporation of spatial-temporal dynamics, heterogeneous sampling, and the study of convergence rates. Further, we derive complete invariants for classes of metric space-valued stochastic processes in the spirit of Gromov, and relate these invariants to so-called ball volume processes. Under mild dependence conditions, a weak invariance principle in D([0,1]×[0,R]) is established for sequential empirical versions of the latter, assuming the probabilistic structure possibly changes over time. Finally, we use this result to introduce novel test statistics for topological change, which are distribution-free in the limit under the hypothesis of stationarity. We explore these test statistics on time series of single-cell mRNA expression data, using shape descriptors coming from topological data analysis.

IICD researchers Andrew Blumberg and Anne van Delft recently published "A statistical framework for analyzing shape in a time series" in the Annals of Statistics. Read the full paper: bit.ly/453uzeO
#Statistics #ShapeAnalysis #DataScience @columbiacancer.bsky.social

Tina Giorgadze

Tina Giorgadze Position: PhD Student Mentor: Dr. Simon Tavaré Education: MA, Statistics, Columbia University BA, Mathematics and Computer Science, Bard College Research: Focuses on statistical methods for inferring copy number variation from sequencing data.

Welcome to IICD, Tina Giorgadze! 👋
A PhD candidate in Statistics, Tina is mentored by Simon Tavaré. Her research explores statistical methods for inferring copy number variation from sequencing data and tumor heterogeneity modeling.
We’re thrilled to have her on board! @columbiacancer.bsky.social

Collage of Marina Milea. Left: Marina smiling while working at a lab bench in a white coat. Top right: Marina pipetting samples into tubes in the lab. Bottom right: Marina and Abdullah Naqvi operating a centrifuge.

Meet Marina Milea, a rising junior in Biology @cuny.edu. In the Azizi and McFaline-Figueroa labs, Marina is using CRISPR techniques applied to cancer immunotherapy. Read more bit.ly/SRPQA2025 @lingting-shi.bsky.social @jlmcfalinefigueroa.bsky.social @elhamazizi.bsky.social @ccnyresearch.bsky.social

SRP interns and Darcy Peterka in the lobby of the Zuckerman Institute

Darcy Peterka showing the serial two-photon tomography system

Darcy Peterka showing instruments used in the Institute

SRP interns and Darcy Peterka on the terrace of the Institute

Our SRP and Alliance interns had an inspiring day touring the microscopy facility @zuckermanbrain.bsky.social with IICD associate member Darcy Peterka and learning more about our serial two-photon tomography system! #CancerResearch #SummerInternship

Ongoing genome doubling shapes evolvability and immunity in ovarian cancer - Nature A single-cell sequencing study using more than 30,000 tumour genomes from human ovarian cancers shows that whole-genome doubling is an ongoing mutational process that drives tumour evolution and disru...

Just published in @nature.com!
"Ongoing genome doubling shapes evolvability and immunity in ovarian cancer" — a major collaboration featuring IICD’s @khanhndinh.bsky.social and Simon Tavaré alongside Sohrab Shah, @ignaciovazquez.bsky.social, and colleagues.
Read it here: bit.ly/3TK79G0

Photo collage of Darby Dodge

Next up in our intern spotlight series: Darby Dodge, a senior in Biology at @sandiegostate.bsky.social . Mentored by Dr. Darcy Peterka (@zuckermanbrain.bsky.social‬), Darby’s research in neuro-oncology focuses on imaging techniques to study gliomas. Read more: bit.ly/SRPQA2025

Photo collage of Joel Joseph

Our intern spotlight continues with Joel Joseph, a CS + Data Science senior @arizonastate.bsky.social. Mentored by Dr. Sanja Vicković @nygenome.org, his research focuses on using computational tools to study tumor interactions in colorectal cancer. bit.ly/SRPQA2025 @columbiauniversity.bsky.social

Three people presenting in front of a classroom

The SRP and Columbia Math interns enjoyed an engaging seminar led by Simon Tavaré yesterday. Thank you, Dr. Tavaré, for inspiring the next generation of scientists! 🧬📊
#SRP2025 #CancerResearch #IICDLeadership @columbiauniversity.bsky.social @columbiacancer.bsky.social @columbiamed.bsky.social

Collage of Mariah Loehr. Left: Mariah smiling while writing on a whiteboard. Top right: Mariah focused on writing notes and equations on the whiteboard. Bottom right: Mariah smiling, seated at a computer workstation.

Introducing Mariah Loehr, a rising senior in Mathematics @carleton.edu. Mentored by Drs. Genevera Allen from @zuckermanbrain.bsky.social and Tarek Zikry, Mariah is exploring machine learning approaches to understand complex systems.

Read more: bit.ly/SRPQA2025

IICD Monthly Research Roundup graphic

IICD Monthly Research Roundup for June 2025 list

Last month’s publications span cancer biology, immunology, gene regulation, and more. Featuring work published in Nature Communications, Bioinformatics, arXiv, and bioRxiv.
Swipe to see the full list ➡️
#IICDResearch #Genomics #CancerResearch #Bioinformatics

Thank you to all attendees, speakers, instructors, TAs and ‪@cancerdynamics.bsky.social staff for another successful workshop!

Profile for William Milligan

Welcome William Milligan to IICD! 👋🏽
A Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the Biology Department, William uses genomic data & mathematical modeling to study what drives germline and somatic mutagenesis.
Thrilled to have him on the team!
#CancerResearch #IICD

📰 The July edition of our IICD newsletter is here!
Catch up on summer research, recent awards, new team members, and exciting publications.
Read it now 👉 bit.ly/3IdtWaN @columbiacancer.bsky.social @columbiauniversity.bsky.social @elhamazizi.bsky.social

Photo collage of the 2025 IICD Intensive Workshop

That’s a wrap on the second 2025 IICD Intensive Workshop! Thank you to all our incredible participants, speakers, and organizers for a week full of learning, collaboration, and new ideas in probabilistic data integration, spatial technologies, & optimal transport. cc: @elhamazizi.bsky.social

Ren-Yi Wang profile card

📣 Meet our newest postdoc in the Tavaré lab, Dr. Ren-Yi Wang! His research uses stochastic modeling and differential equations to study cancer dynamics and other complex biological systems.
#IICDColumbia #CancerDynamics #PostdocLife @riceuniversity.bsky.social @columbiacancer.bsky.social

Collage of Alan Jiang. Left: Alan seated at a desk while holding an open textbook. Top right: Alan standing at a whiteboard. Bottom right: Alan writing detailed equations on a whiteboard.

Today’s spotlight features Alan Jiang, a rising junior in Computer Science and Mathematics @pomonacollege.bsky.social. Alan is working in Andrew Blumberg’s lab to build tools for single-cell RNA sequencing analysis.
Read more: bit.ly/SRPQA2025
cc: @columbiacancer.bsky.social

Collage of Daniel Alshansky. Left: Daniel in a lab coat working with lab equipment at his bench. Top right: Daniel and Cody Slater in lab coats examining a sample together. Bottom right: Daniel seated, engaged in conversation with Joel Joseph.

Meet Daniel Alshansky, a rising junior studying Biology & Computer Science @hofstrau.bsky.social. At the @nygenome.org Vicković Lab, he’s developing new transcriptomic engineering tools to push the boundaries of genomic research. Read more: bit.ly/SRPQA2025

interns and seminar speaker sitting and discussing in a conference room

interns and seminar speaker sitting and discussing in a conference room

This week, Jellert Gaublomme shared details about his career path and research with our SRP interns. Thank you for the inspiration!

#SRP2025 #STEMmentorship #CancerResearch