Alisha Mechtley
About Alisha Mechtley
Alisha Mechtley is a Software Engineer with a strong background in computational biology, currently working at the University of Colorado. She has held various academic and research positions, including roles at Arizona State University, Maricopa Community Colleges, and Google, and has a Doctorate in Biology from Florida State University.
Work at University of Colorado
Alisha Mechtley has been employed as a Software Engineer at the University of Colorado since 2017. In this role, she applies her expertise in computational science to develop software solutions that support research initiatives. Her work focuses on leveraging her interdisciplinary background in science, mathematics, and computing to enhance the university's research capabilities.
Education and Expertise
Alisha Mechtley holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Biology from Florida State University, where she studied from 2011 to 2017. Her dissertation work concentrated on creating algorithms to identify disease-causing gene variants and tracing evolutionary histories. She also earned a Master's degree from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Millikin University, providing her with a solid foundation in biological sciences.
Background in Research and Teaching
Mechtley served as a Research Associate at Arizona State University from 2008 to 2009, contributing to various research projects. She also worked as Adjunct Faculty at Maricopa Community Colleges from 2009 to 2011, where she taught courses in her field. Her experience in both research and education informs her approach to software engineering and computational biology.
Professional Experience in Computational Biology
Throughout her career, Alisha Mechtley has contributed to the field of computational biology. She developed novel computational tools for analyzing high throughput genomic sequence data as part of her Ph.D. dissertation. Additionally, she has applied new algorithms to observe natural genetic variation between and within species, enhancing the understanding of genetic factors in health and disease.
Previous Roles and Contributions
Before her current position, Mechtley held various roles, including Coordinator of Math and Science Support at Arizona State University and Systems Analyst at the University of Georgia. She also participated in the Google Summer of Code as a Software Developer in 2016. These experiences have shaped her skills in software development and computational analysis.