Data Science Services
MS-INBRE Data Science Core (DSC) provides a wide range of data science-related services, supported by professionals from various disciplines across Mississippi. Please browse below to learn about what we currently offer, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any ideas or needs beyond our current scope of services.
Bioinformatics and Computational Support for Large-Scale Omics Research
Description
The DSC provides guidance and support for all MS-INBRE projects that use large-scale datasets, such as high-throughput DNA and RNA sequencing, proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics generated through the Instrumentation & Services Core at MS-INBRE. Examples of support include helping investigators think through study design, select appropriate analysis approaches, and use available computing resources effectively to analyze the high-throughput sequencing data generated. When appropriate, established pipelines are used, and custom workflows are developed as needed to move data efficiently from processing to interpretation and publication.
Contact Person
1. Dr. Lavanya Challagundla (lchallagundla@umc.edu)
2. Dr. Alex Flynt (asflynt@olemiss.edu)
The Data Science Workshop at Annual Mississippi Academy of Sciences (MAS) Meetings
Description
Please reach out to msinbre@usm.edu to request the workshop flyer for more information.
Contact Person
Mississippi INBRE Administrative Core (msinbre@usm.edu) and chair of the event
The Data Science Consulting Booth at Annual Mississippi Academy of Sciences (MAS) Meetings
Description
Please reach out to msinbre@usm.edu to request the consulting booth flyer for more information.
Contact Person
Mississippi INBRE Administrative Core (msinbre@usm.edu) and chair of the event
The Data Science Session at Annual Mississippi IDeA/EPSCoR Conference (MIEC)
Description
Please visit msinbre.org/miec26 for more information.
Contact Person
Mississippi INBRE Administrative Core (msinbre@usm.edu) and chair of the event
Deep Learning / AI Training and Consultation
Description
Relevant services include: (1) General machine learning / AI research consultation; (2) Advice for AI agentic tools such as LangChain coding; (3) Discussion for potential research collaboration.
Contact Person
Dr. Yufeng Zheng (yzheng@umc.edu)
Statistics and Machine Learning Consultation
Description
Relevant services include: Provide office hours by appointment. Discuss research projects on a case-by-case basis. An example of a service is to explore or model data together with PUI faculty from a data-driven perspective. Data types include both quantitative and categorical.
Contact Person
Dr. Jingyi “Catherine” Shi (js5328@msstate.edu)
Accessing Molecular Modeling Environments
Description
Relevant services include: Facilitate access to advanced modeling software such as molecular dynamics and Schrodinger. Connect users to expert mentors appropriate for their application.
Contact Person
Dr. Alex Flynt (asflynt@olemiss.edu)
Data Science Course Modules for PUIs
Description
DSC provides ready-to-use Data Science course modules designed to enrich PUI curricula. Please visit https://msinbre.org/course-modules/ to learn more and apply for curriculum enhancement. It is also highly recommended to consult each course contact person before use to ensure efficient utilization.
Contact Person
Mississippi INBRE Administrative Core (msinbre@usm.edu) and instructor of each course module:
- Statistics for Epidemiology – Dr. Felix Twum (felix.twum@usm.edu)
- Machine Learning in Biomedical Sciences – Dr. Jingyi “Catherine” Shi (js5328@msstate.edu)
- Intro to R – Dr. Jingyi “Catherine” Shi (js5328@msstate.edu)
High-Performance GPU Resources
Description
MS-INBRE has a few GPUs installed at the Magnolia Cluster at The University of Southern Mississippi. It’s a Slurm-based system. We encourage PUI faculty to reach out for more details and assistance with getting started.
Contact Person
Dr. Felix Twum (Felix.Twum@usm.edu)
Biomedical Data Resources for Undergraduate Research and Training
Description
Relevant services include: Provide PUI faculty with access to curated and maintained biomedical datasets designed to reduce technical and resource barriers to data-driven research. Core services will include data cleaning, metadata development, quality control, and ongoing updates, along with faculty consultations to support effective dataset selection. These services will enable faculty to focus on scientific inquiry while engaging undergraduates in biomedical research.
Contact Person
Dr. Felix Twum (Felix.Twum@usm.edu)
Mentor MS-INBRE Awarded Projects and Relevant Publications
Description
DSC is formed of data science-related professionals from various disciplines across Mississippi. We provide data-driven mentorship for MS-INBRE-sponsored projects and publications. For detailed information about each DSC mentor, please see the People section below.
Contact Person
Mississippi INBRE Administrative Core (msinbre@usm.edu)
People
Dr. Yufeng Zheng
- Data Science Core Director
- Associate Professor, Department of Data Science
- University of Mississippi Medical Center
- yzheng@umc.edu
- 601.815.7908
Expertise
Image Analysis, Pattern Recognition, Deep Learning, AI, Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD), Large Language Models (LLMs).
Dr. Jingyi “Catherine” Shi
- Data Science Core Associate Director
- Assistant Professor of Statistics, Department of Mathematics and Statistics
- Mississippi State University
- js5328@msstate.edu
- 662.325.7136
Expertise
Applied Statistics, Supervised Machine Learning, Predictive Modeling, Feature Selection, Health Informatics, Knowledge Extraction and Representation, AI Software Development.
Dr. Alex Flynt
- Data Science Core Associate Director
- Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering
- University of Mississippi
- asflynt@olemiss.edu
- 662.915.3126
Expertise
Deep mining of RNA sequencing data. Custom transcript analysis, exploration of specialized data types (smallRNA-seq. Chip-Seq, RIP-seq, CLIP-seq). Phylogenomics. AI assisted gene annotation.
Dr. Felix Twum
- Data Science Core Associate Director
- Assistant Professor (Epidemiology), School of Health Professions
- The University of Southern Mississippi
- Felix.Twum@usm.edu
- 601.266.5437
Expertise
Chronic disease epidemiology, infectious disease modelling, study design, Cardio-Kidney-Metabolic Health.
Dr. Lavanya Challagundla
- Data Science Core Bioinformatics Expert
- Assistant Professor (Bioinformatics), Department of Cell and Molecular Biology
- University of Mississippi Medical Center
- lchallagundla@umc.edu
- 601.984.1505
Expertise
High throughput sequencing analysis including functional enrichment and pathways (WGS, RNASeq, 16S microbiome, Metagenomics), single cell and spatial transcriptomics, pipeline development and automation, data visualization and interpretation.