About
Keegan Kelsey
Building and learning · San Francisco, CA
Keegan Kelsey, Ph.D., is a scientist, an engineer, and a creative. Most recently a Director of Engineering at DNAnexus, Dr. Kelsey collaborates extensively across an organization (Product, Engineering, Scientific, Business Units, Marketing, and Executive teams), supporting the progress and development of data products. With a specialization in clinical and multi-omic data, he has over 10 years of experience in the technology/biotechnology sectors and over 18 years of experience in scientific research.
Dr. Kelsey received his doctorate from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, in 2016. He was an Insight Data Science Fellow in 2015 and was subsequently a Data Scientist at 23andMe. He received his bachelor’s degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Past research and engineering efforts have involved a diverse array of topics in both human and model organisms, with direct bioinformatics, software engineering, and analysis experience in genetics, population genetics (germline and somatic), clinical/phenotypic data, -omic data (genomic, transcriptomic, epigenomic, proteomic), and metadata such as annotations and ontologies. Currently, efforts are spent exploring, optimizing, integrating, inferring and analyzing disparate data with an emphasis on data-centric discovery and product delivery.
Education
Cornell University
2009 – 2015
Ph.D., Genetics, Genomics & Development
Ithaca, NY
Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics
Minor in Biometry
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2005
B.A., Visual and Critical Studies
Chicago, IL
Experience
DNAnexus
2019 – 2026
Director, Engineering (2022)
Mountain View, CA
Previously Principal Scientist (2020) · Senior Scientist (2019)
DNAnexus provides a cloud-based platform to help integrate molecular and clinical data for downstream, scalable compute and production-grade monitoring and delivery of data. I worked with a team of scientists and engineers to deliver a variety of products on the platform.
23andMe
2015 – 2018
Senior Data Scientist (2018)
Mountain View, CA
Previously Data Scientist
If you believe in the power of large-scale genetic research, which I do, then 23andMe should already be on your radar! 23andMe is a direct-to-consumer company that helps customers access and understand their own genetic information. I helped with various projects at the company.
Insight Data Science
2015
Data Science Fellow
Palo Alto, CA
Insight Data Science is an intensive 7-week postdoctoral training fellowship bridging the gap between academia and industry. Just prior to earning a Ph.D., I was a Fellow in the SV 2015A session at Insight. Here, I created a novel data project and used that project to interview with data-centric companies.
Cornell University
2009 – 2015
Graduate Research Assistant
Ithaca, NY
I was fortunate to be advised by Dr. Andrew G. Clark, a population geneticist and member of the National Academy of Sciences. My Ph.D. work involved understanding the natural genetic architecture underlying Position Effect Variegation (PEV), a proxy for epigenetic context in a genome. To this end, I generated experimental data and performed end-to-end analysis of whole-genome sequence data and RNA-seq from over 100 individuals. During this time, I was also a Teaching Assistant for Andy's course, Human Genetics, and for Chip Aquadro's course, Personalized Genomics and Medicine.
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
2005 – 2009
Research Assistant
Iowa City, IA
Prior to starting my Ph.D., I spent four years in the lab of Dr. Jeffrey C. Murray studying associations between genetic factors and preterm birth, a common, complex disease that impacts roughly 1 in every 8 babies born in the United States. Mentorship from Jeff (University of Iowa, past president of ASHG, Gates Foundation), a sense of discovery, potential impact, and a love for problem solving were all strong reasons I developed a passion for research and the sciences. Here, I performed genetic and statistical analysis of preterm birth (work that resulted in four publications), assisted in sample collection, sample processing, and database management for a University-wide biorepository, and performed general lab procedures including PCR, TaqMan assays, Sanger sequencing, and gel electrophoresis.
Publications
2022
Clyman RI, Hills NK, Dagle JM, Murray JC, Kelsey K
Pediatric Research 91(4): 903–911
Functional consequences of variation in Y chromosome heterochromatin in Drosophila
2018
Kelsey KJP, Clark AG
In preparation
Variation in Position Effect Variegation within a natural population
2017
Kelsey KJP, Clark AG
Genetics 207(3): 1157–1166
2016
Chow CY, Kelsey KJ, Wolfner MF, Clark AG
Human Molecular Genetics 25(4): 651–659
2013
Mann PC, Cooper ME, Ryckman KK, Comas B, Gili J, Crumley S, Bream EN, Byers HM, Piester T, Schaefer A, Christine PJ, Lawrence A, Schaa KL, Kelsey KJ, Berends SK, Momany AM, Gadow E, Cosentino V, Castilla EE, López Camelo J, Saleme C, Day LJ, England SK, Marazita ML, Dagle JM, Murray JC
Journal of Perinatology 33(5): 336–340
2012
Ryckman KK, Dagle JM, Kelsey K, Momany AM, Murray JC
Journal of Perinatology 32(5): 349–355
2011
Ryckman KK, Dagle JM, Kelsey K, Momany AM, Murray JC
Pediatric Research 70(1): 90–95
Determination of genetic predisposition to patent ductus arteriosus in preterm infants
2009
Dagle JM, Lepp NT, Cooper ME, Schaa KL, Kelsey KJ, Orr KL, Caprau D, Zimmerman CR, Steffen KM, Johnson KJ, Marazita ML, Murray JC
Pediatrics 123(4): 1116–1123