Nate's Niche

Science Interests:

wireless communications, data storage and transmission, the "next generation" of personal health monitoring systems, integrative research, (epi)genomics, cancer, diabetes

What is your major field of interest? (choose all that apply)

Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences, Medicine, Environmental Sciences, Ecology, Computer Sciences, Engineering

About Me:

I lived in Oregon and Washington for many years through high school, and still visit at least once a year to remember what rain is like.

As Associate Director of the Center for Wireless Communications (CWC) and the Center for Magnetic Recording Research (CMRR) at UCSD, I work at the interface of faculty/student research and industry investment/commercialization of new technologies. Many of the innovations in the average person's cell phone or computer hard drive come from such collaborations between university expertise and commercial-practical applications. My position is supported by the UC Discovery Grant Fellowship program.

Previously, I conducted epigenomic research in cancer systems with Dr. Bing Ren at the San Diego Branch of the Ludwig Inst for Cancer Research, in the Laboratory of Gene Regulation. Much of my work was part of the ENCODE (ENCyclopedia of DNA Elements) project, a functional-genomic extension of the Human Genome Project completed in 2001. As a grad student, I discovered a "chromatin signature" that could be used to identify elusive genomic transcriptional regulatory elements called enhancers, and as a postdoc I worked to extend this strategy to the entire human genome in primary human leukemia cells and a myocardial model.

I also work extensively with a non-profit organization called Insulindependence ( http://insulindependence.org ) – we run fitness programs and adventure travel for people with diabetes. In the past, we have taken diabetics of all ages canoeing in Utah, hiking in Peru, and more, and we're planning trips to Costa Rica, New Zealand, and China. Currently, we're also managing the Triabetes project, supporting a team of aspiring diabetic triathletes as they train for Ironman Wisconsin. The Triabetes team is being followed by a documentary crew and an elite medical/research staff, in hopes that the data we collect will shed some light on the effects of extreme training on diabetes management. More info on this can be found at http://triabetes.org

Additionally, I work with ScholarNexus, a consulting network of PhD scientists dedicated to translating lab discoveries into practical innovations for the community.

Some details:

Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, UCSD
http://biomedsci.ucsd.edu/
Post-doctoral fellow, Lab of Gene Regulation, LICR San Diego
(see MySDscience group UCSD Ren Lab)

Vice President of Operations, Insulindependence.org
http://insulindependence.org/
Founder, ScholarNexus
http://scholarnexus.com/

UC Discovery Fellow
http://ucdiscoverygrant.org
Associate Director, UCSD Center for Wireless Communications
http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/
Associate Director, UCSD Center for Magnetic Recording Research
http://cwc.ucsd.edu/

Occasional musician, artist, and half-marathon runner
B.A. Biochem and Mol Bio, Gustavus Adolphus College (MN)
http://gustavus.edu/
Glencoe High School, Hillsboro OR

Happy to talk about any of the above, from research to advocacy to anything scientific!

What is the name of your organization, school, or company?

UCSD CWC, UCSD CMRR, LICR, Insulindependence, ScholarNexus

What best describes your current position? (choose all that apply)

Upper Management (CEO or CSO etc), Consultant

At MyNWscience you want to:

learn about science, share my science, learn about what others say about science, read and post science blogs, read and post events, view and post pictures & videos

Website: (optional)

insulindependence.org