Graduate at University of Connecticut, United States
Farzaneh (Dana) Rastegari is a dedicated researcher in computational biology and bioinformatics, specializing in microbiome analysis, machine learning, and genomics. With a strong foundation in computer science and engineering, she applies computational and statistical methods to analyze microbial communities and their interactions. Her interdisciplinary expertise spans software development, wet lab techniques, and data analytics, making her a valuable contributor to biomedical research.
Profile
Scopus
Education 🎓
Farzaneh is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Connecticut (UConn), where she maintains an impressive GPA of 3.88/4.0. She previously earned her M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of New Haven (UNH), focusing on communication networks. Her academic journey began with a B.S. in Computer Science, specializing in robotics, from Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic).
Experience 💼
As a Predoctoral Associate at The Jackson Laboratory, Farzaneh conducts extensive microbiome research involving wet lab methodologies, data processing, statistical analysis, and pipeline development. Her work at UConn includes computational genomics, Bayesian machine learning, and artificial intelligence applications in bioinformatics. Additionally, her past experience at UNH and AUT includes projects in signal processing, communication networks, and robotics, demonstrating her versatility in multiple research domains.
Research Interests 🔬
Farzaneh’s research focuses on bioinformatics, genomics, computational biology, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Her work in microbiome research explores microbial community interactions, statistical modeling, and algorithm development for genomic data analysis. She is also passionate about evolutionary genomics, phylogenetic analysis, and predictive modeling in biomedical research.
Awards & Achievements 🏆
- Awarded Predoctoral Fellowship at UConn’s Computer Science and Engineering department.
- Received the Summer Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship from the Graduate School at UConn.
- Ranked as the top student in her M.S. program at UNH, holding the highest GPA in her class.
- Ranked among the top three students in her B.S. program at AUT.
- Member of the Parsian Robotic team, ranked among the top 20 teams worldwide in small-size soccer robots (Robocup, Atlanta, USA).
- Secured the 14th position in the world ranking for small-size soccer robots at Robocup, Bremen, Germany.
- Achieved second place in ACM/ICPC line follower robots competition (Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran).
- Ranked in the 99.8 percentile among over 600,000 students in Iran’s national university entrance exam.
- Selected for NODET (National Organization for Development of Exceptional Talents), Iran.
- Certified in CPR, first aid, and emergency care.
- Holds a second-dan certificate from Kukkiwon’s Taekwondo Association, South Korea.
Publications 📚 Published:
- Metagenomics and Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea: A Roadmap for Future Research
- Authors: Crowder, S. L., Hoogland, A. I., Welniak, T. L., LaFranchise, E. A., Carpenter, K. M., Li, D., Rotroff, D. M., Mariam, A., Pierce, C. M., Fischer, S. M., Kinney, A. Y., Rastegari, F., Weinstock, G. M., Jim, H. S. L.
- Year: 2022
- Predictive Modeling of Chronic Kidney Disease Progression Using Longitudinal Clinical Data and Deep Learning Techniques
- Authors: Rastegari, F., Odeh, M., Baroughi, R. M., Bustan, A.
- Year: 2023
- Exploring the Relationship between Air Pollution and CNS Disease Mortality in Italy: A Forecasting Study with ARIMA and XGBoost
- Authors: Karimi, M., Hamzehei, S., Rastegari, F., Akbarzadeh, O.
- Year: 2023
- A Comprehensive Simulation of Electric Vehicle Energy Consumption: Incorporating Route Planning and Machine Learning-Based Predictions
- Authors: Baroughi, R. M., Attar, H., Rastegari, F.
- Year: 2023
- Comparison of Lysis and Amplification Methodologies for Optimal 16S rRNA Gene Profiling for Human and Mouse Microbiome Studies
- Authors: Rastegari, F., Driscoll, M., Riordan, J. D., Nadeau, J. H., Johnson, J. S., Weinstock, G. M.
- Year: 2025
- On the Accuracy of HGTs Inference Using Phylogenetic Reconciliation
- Authors: Rastegari, F., Masi, A., Bansal, M.
- Year: Year of publication is not specified.
Conclusion
Farzaneh (Dana) Rastegari is an exceptional researcher with a diverse skill set in bioinformatics, microbiome research, AI, and robotics. Her strong technical expertise, multidisciplinary research contributions, and outstanding academic achievements make her a top candidate for the Best Researcher Award. While she already has a strong publication record and international recognition, further interdisciplinary collaborations, high-impact journal publications, and leadership in research grants could further solidify her position as a leading researcher in computational biology and AI-driven genomics.