Deeksha Mandarke Pai

University of Michigan '19

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Hello, my name is Deeksha

I'm a hard-working, driven student at the University of Michigan with a passion for both Medicine and Programming. I have loved programming and design since high school, but decided to persue a Neuroscience major my first two years at college. Ultimately I switched fields my junior year and I am currently finishing the final year of my Computer Science degree. My knowledge of biology contributes to my interest in software applications for medicince and the health field, though I am open to any project that improves the quality of life.
Talk to me about:

  • Bioinformatics
  • Neuroscience
  • Computer Science
  • Data Science and Analytics
  • Website Design

SKILLS

What I've picked up over the years

Programming:

Platforms:

Laboratory:

Design:

EDUCATION

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Class of '19

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (LS&A)

Honors College
James B. Angell Scholar -2 Terms
University Honors - 4 Terms


Biology and Chemistry

Computer Science and Math

Other


Stoney Creek High School

Class of '15

Scholar of Highest Distinction
Life Science Departmental Award Recepient
AP Scholar with Distinction


EXPERIENCE





Deoxylytics LLC

Software Developer Intern

This biotech startup founded in 2017 aims to deliver a software solution that provides personalized treatment recommendations based on a patient's genomic profile. As one of the first software developers at the company, I worked on building a high-level prototype for the product using R. This involved integrating many different medical databases into our pipeline. Since each source used a different medical terminology, a large part of my work was implementing a solution for accurately mapping across the different databases. Another portion of my time was spent using machine learning to classify drug-gene effects for use in our clinical decision-making algorithm. Additionally, I built a Shiny Web Application around the prototype for ease of use.



University of Michigan
Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute

Research Assistant

I recieved exome sequenced data from individuals with Ataxia - a neurological movement disorder. My goal was to identify de-nevo ataxia causing genes by identifying damaging mutations in the ataxia patients. I used R scripts to filter and annotate the exome data. My scripts allowed for quick prioritization of mutations and enabled me to search scientific literature on a smaller subset of mutations. My last project involved working on desiging and building a Shiny Web Application that provides an interactive interface for fast variant identification.




University of Michigan
Big Data Summer Institute

Summer Research Assistant

In this 6 week program hosted by the University of Michigan School of Public Health, my team and I developed scripts in R to visualize and analyze data from cell growth experiments done on microenvironment microarrays (MEMA). We applied machine learning algorithms to predict cell counts in the MEMAs. This allowed us to account for spatial biases that are present in these experiments. At the end of the program, I presented my research along with my team at the Symposium on Big Data, Human Health and Statistics. Check out a poem I wrote about the program here.


Oakland University
Biological Science Lab

Research Assistant

I developed scripts in Perl (often using the BioPerl module) and Python to modfiy phylogenetic (binary) trees with upwards of 700 species. The purpose of modifying these trees was to run simulations of molecular clock dating using MCMCtree software. I was investigating the effect that using different calibration points had on the accuracy of dating.


LEADERSHIP

The Neuroscience Student Association

Co-President (2018-present) | Director of Graphic Design (2016-2018)

Currently as Co-President, I plan and oversee the logistical details of all our events, track our finances, and act as the liason between our organization and the University. In 2016 I built the club website and currently maintain it. The website allows members to easily access information pertaining to the club. In addition to the website, I help design club logos and order merchandise for the members.


Girls Who Code at UM DCMB

Social Media Strategist

In 2017 I created the current website for Girls Who Code at the University of Michigan Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics. Every year I migrate the year's data onto an archive page so that prospective students can view the activites and projects from the previous years.