Layla Oesper

Layla Oesper is an Associate Professor in the Computer Science Department at Carleton College. She previously worked as a post-doctoral researcher and graduate student at Brown University, where she earned her PhD and ScM in Computer Science. She received her BA in Mathematics from Pomona College and worked at Epic as a software tester.

• PhD in Computer Science - Brown University
• ScM in Computer Science - Brown University
• BA in Mathematics - Pomona College

Her research focuses on designing algorithms for high-throughput DNA sequencing data analysis, particularly in cancer genomics. She develops computational methods for tumor evolutionary history inference, with emphasis on consensus approaches and noise tolerance in phylogenetic reconstruction.

Recent publications highlight her work on computational biology education, distance measures for tumor phylogenies, and weighted consensus tree algorithms. Her research spans algorithm design, cancer genomics, and bioinformatics software development.

• NSF CAREER grant recipient (2021)
• Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship (2014)
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2011)
• Best Presentation Award at HitSeq workshop (2014)

She has advised multiple students who have received recognition in computational biology, including CRA Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher honorable mentions. Her software tools include TuELiP, CASet/DISC, and GraPhyC for tumor evolution analysis.