Getiria Onsongo

Getiria Onsongo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science at Macalester College. Previously, he worked as a Research Scientist at the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute and Masonic Cancer Center, and as a database consultant for GEMS.

He earned his PhD from the University of Minnesota under Prof. John V. Carlis and Prof. Timothy J. Griffin.

His research focuses on bioinformatics with dual emphases: clinical genomics for diagnosing rare genetic disorders through copy number variation detection in whole-exome/genome sequencing data, and agroinformatics for preventing food shortages in sub-Saharan Africa via integrative analysis of genotype, environmental, and management data. He develops scalable computational tools for genomic diagnostics and collaborates with the International AgroInformatics Alliance at the University of Minnesota.

His publication record demonstrates consistent innovation in applying computer science to healthcare and agricultural challenges, including cloud-based clinical genomics pipelines and machine learning-driven CNV detection algorithms.

Dr. Onsongo collaborates with the International AgroInformatics Alliance at the University of Minnesota's College of Food Agriculture and Natural Resource Science, and has partnered with clinical teams at the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute on genomic diagnostic software development.