Erika Bongen
About Erika Bongen
Erika Bongen is a Research Investigator in Translational Bioinformatics Oncology at Bristol-Myers Squibb, with a background in immunology and bioinformatics from Stanford University.
Title
Erika Bongen serves as a Research Investigator in Translational Bioinformatics Oncology at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Company
Erika Bongen is currently working at Bristol-Myers Squibb in the San Francisco Bay Area. As part of her role, she focuses on utilizing CRISPR screen, RNA-seq, and genome sequencing data to identify and prioritize immuno-oncology drug targets based on molecular data from clinical trials.
Background
Before joining Bristol-Myers Squibb, Erika Bongen spent five years as a Doctoral Candidate in Immunology at Stanford University. During her PhD research, she investigated influenza susceptibility and sex differences in the immune system by utilizing public data. This rigorous academic background has laid a strong foundation for her current role in translational bioinformatics.
Education and Expertise
Erika Bongen holds a PhD in Immunology from Stanford University School of Medicine, which she attended from 2013 to 2018. She also earned a Bachelor's degree in Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she studied from 2009 to 2013. She is proficient in programming languages including R, Python, SQL, and Java, and has experience handling diverse data types such as flow cytometry, CyTOF, Electronic Health Records, Medical Images, RNA-seq, Gene Expression Microarray, and Next Generation Sequencing Quality Metrics.
Specializations and Skills
Erika Bongen specializes in machine learning applications for biological problems, particularly those involving small sample sizes and multiple data types. She is skilled in various machine learning techniques and experimental designs, including random forest, logistic regression, linear regression, lasso, unsupervised learning, clustering, outlier analysis, and bootstrapping.