معرفی
David Becerra is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Computer Science at McGill University, where he joined in 2020. His expertise spans computational biology, algorithms, and programming competitions, with a focus on interdisciplinary applications in life sciences.
Dr. Becerra earned his PhD in Computer Science with emphasis in Bioinformatics from McGill University in 2017 under Professor Jérôme Waldispühl. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research (2018-2020) supervised by Professor Philip Kim. His undergraduate and master's degrees are from Universidad Nacional de Colombia, where he worked with Professor Luis Niño.
His research integrates machine learning, bio-inspired computing, and optimization to solve molecular biology problems at sequential and structural levels. Key areas include protein structure prediction, molecular docking, sequence alignment, and algorithm development for computational biology. He applies these techniques to model complex life science phenomena through computational simulation and data mining.
Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals a strong trajectory in computational structural biology, with increasing use of deep learning (particularly graph neural networks) for protein design and folding. His work consistently bridges theoretical algorithms with practical biological applications, emphasizing multi-objective optimization approaches.
- Qualified for ICPC World Finals (2020, 2021)
Dr. Becerra actively mentors students through undergraduate research projects (COMP396/400/401), course instruction (COMP204/251), and programming competition teams. He fosters an inclusive environment where students develop algorithmic confidence and interpersonal skills through collaborative problem-solving.
He leads McGill's competitive programming initiative, which has created a thriving community preparing students for international competitions like the ICPC. This program emphasizes both technical excellence and team cohesion, resulting in consecutive world final qualifications.
