Douglas Ruderfer Ph.D
douglas.ruderfer (at) vanderbilt.eduAssociate Professor
Formally trained in computational biology and genetics, Doug’s interest is in using computational tools and genetics to inform clinical decision making and biological understanding of disease. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Division of Genetic Medicine and the departments of Medicine, Psychiatry and Biomedical Informatics at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN.
Lide Han Ph.D
Sr. Staff Scientist
Lide Han has background in biology, quantitative genetics and biostatistics. He received his Master’s degree in Nanjing Agricultural University, China and PhD’s degree in Zhejiang University, China. Afterwards he accepted his postdoc training in University of California, Riverside and University of Chicago. He joined the Ruderfer lab in August, 2017. Out of work he likes hiking, movies and playing with family and friends.
Jooeun “Jay” Kang
MD/Ph.D Student
Jay is a Third Culture Kid who grew up bouncing around West Africa, Europe, Korea, and the Middle East. She was trained as a molecular biologist studying breast cancer metastasis for her thesis in Princeton University, then studied clotting factor degradation induced by mechanical heart support devices at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. In 2016 she moved to Nashville to begin her training in the Medical Scientist Training Program in Vanderbilt University.
While at Vanderbilt, she was drawn to the unique resources and strong, supportive leadership available in the bioinformatics and human genetics department, and decided to switch her trajectory from wet to dry lab and joined the Ruderfer lab in 2018.
Jay is currently working to understand the genetics of suicidal behavior and how it intersects with other psychiatric illnesses, especially those that are treatment-resistant. When she is not in lab she spends her free time at the rec center or meal prepping listening to her favorite podcast, No Such Thing As A Fish.
Ted Morley
Data Scientist
Ted Morley has a background in computer science, with a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University. His computational focuses have primarily been in biology, natural language processing, and machine learning. In his free time he enjoys wilderness backpacking, board games, and cooking for friends and family.
Tess Vessels
Ph.D Student
Tess grew up in Huntsville, Alabama. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is interested in the genetics of psychiatric disorders and how genes can be used to improve accurate diagnoses and inform effective treatment. She is currently focused on quantifying the symptom psychosis and using its genetics as a predictive measure for psychiatric disorders. Outside of lab she enjoys reading, watching movies, and hanging out with family and friends.
Colby Tubbs
Ph.D Student
Colby is from Charleston, SC and received his bachelor’s degree in Biology from UNC Chapel Hill. He is currently pursuing his doctoral training at Vanderbilt as a member of the Human Genetics department. Colby has a broad interest in the study of regulatory genomics and is currently applying computational approaches to interpret the impact of non-coding genetic variants in the population. Outside of the lab, Colby loves getting outdoors and sampling the Nashville food scene.
Lucas Richter
Genetics Counselor
Lucas is a former Broadway voice teacher. Before moving to New York City he studied music at Oklahoma City University, where he also received his masters in vocal performance. He lives in Nashville with his 2-year-old son Finn and his wife, novelist Mary Adkins.
Hanna Abe
Ph.D. Student
Hanna is an international student from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Berea College in Kentucky. She moved to Nashville to pursue graduate training through the Vanderbilt’s IGP program. She is broadly interested in regulatory and functional genomics. Currently she is studying genetic regulation of gene expression and its association with complex traits. Outside of the lab, Hanna enjoys hiking, cooking, and watching movies
Douglas Ruderfer Lab 