Alfred Simkin

Alfred Simkin is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Brown University. His research focuses on computational biology, genomics, and the molecular evolution of microRNAs. He collaborates with the IDEEL consortium across Brown, UNC Chapel Hill, and Imperial College, emphasizing global malaria research and host-pathogen interactions.

• PhD in Molecular Evolution of Noncoding RNAs (2014), University of Massachusetts Medical School
• Postdoc in MicroRNA Evolution Simulations (2014–2016), Cornell University
• Teaching Professor of Genetics (2016–2021), Elon University
• Staff Scientist in Genomics (2022), IDEXX

His research spans malaria (Plasmodium falciparum), Epstein Barr Virus, Hepatitis, Chagas, Syphilis, COVID, and Lyme disease. Key software contributions include mipTools, SeekDeep, and Real McCoil, aimed at haplotype analysis and genomic data reproducibility. Publications highlight evolutionary genomics of noncoding RNAs, mRNA decay mechanisms, and computational approaches to infectious disease modeling.

Alfred is dedicated to mentoring computational biologists globally, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations through scalable, accessible workflows. His work bridges molecular evolution, bioinformatics, and public health policy.