Debora Rodrigues Sobreira

Debora Rodrigues Sobreira serves as Assistant Professor in both the Department of Biological Chemistry and the Department of Human Genetics at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, where she also holds the position of Department Vice Chair for Biological Chemistry. Her research program focuses on transforming GWAS-identified genetic risk locations associated with metabolic diseases and traits into their functional roles through a 'Variants-to-Function' (V2F) approach.

Dr. Sobreira completed her M.Sc and Ph.D. research at the University of Campinas in Brazil, studying the role of Dact genes and the interplay between WNT and TGF-β signaling during limb development. She later pursued postdoctoral training at the Nobrega Lab at the University of Chicago, where she developed empirical frameworks to study complex trait architecture.

Her research interests center on non-coding genetic variations and their impact on biological processes, with particular emphasis on obesity, metabolic diseases, and gene regulation mechanisms. The Sobreira Lab employs cutting-edge tools including data science, machine learning, single-cell analysis, disease modeling, and genetic screening to investigate how genetic variants lead to functional changes at molecular, cellular, and phenotypic levels.

Analysis of her publication record reveals a strong trajectory from fundamental gene regulation mechanisms to applied human disease research, with particular focus on obesity, metabolic disorders, and enhancer-promoter interactions. Her work demonstrates expertise in functional genomics approaches that bridge population genetics with mechanistic molecular biology.

Dr. Sobreira leads a vibrant research team comprising postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduates who work collaboratively on projects involving iPSC-derived neurons and adipocytes, 3D chromatin conformation, CRISPR genome editing, and computational analysis of genomic data. Her lab culture emphasizes collaboration, innovation, and mentorship across multiple scientific disciplines.