Panel Presentation: Next-Generation Sequencing in the Global Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Mr. Allen has over 30 years of experience in the fields of bioinformatics and software development.  He is currently Director, Bioinformatics at Illumina, Inc and is the software lead for several cloud based analysis products supporting oncology, genetic disease, and microbiology related studies using whole genome sequencing, targeted sequencing, RNASeq, bisulfite sequencing, and/or metagenomics types of library preps.  Most recently, he has led the teams for several COVID related data analysis products.  Prior to Illumina, Mr. Allen also worked in a variety of software and data analysis roles for companies such as IBM, AT&T, Oracle, and Neurocrine Biosciences.  Mr. Allen received his degrees from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI, the University of Texas in Austin, TX, and the University of San Diego in La Jolla, CA.

The overall interest of Dr. Oberholzer is to translate novel research findings and emerging technologies into next-generation research tools, in-vitro diagnostic, and therapeutic products, to advance Science, and to improve human health. Dr. Michael Oberholzer is currently an Associate Director for Product Management at Illumina and his group is managing Microbiology & Infectious Disease genomics applications. Before joining Illumina, he has managed fully automated molecular in-vitro diagnostic test devices as well as with serological point-of-care tests for infectious diseases. Dr. Oberholzer received his PhD in Microbiology from the University of Bern Switzerland, where he identified and validated novel drug targets for Neglected Tropical Diseases. During his postdoctoral research at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and at the University of California Los Angeles, Dr. Oberholzer worked on cell size homeostasis and cell cycle control as well as on host-pathogen interactions in parasitic protozoa using wide range of omics-based approaches.