Michael Love

Dr. Michael Love is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Biostatistics and Genetics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), and a member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. He earned a PhD in Computational Biology from the Freie Universität Berlin and Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics. His research focuses on statistical and computational methods for analyzing high-throughput sequencing data, including RNA-seq, with a particular emphasis on reproducibility and open-source software development. Love leads the Love Lab, which collaborates across disciplines to study gene regulation, genetic risk factors for diseases like cancer and neuropsychiatric disorders, and integrates multi-omics data to uncover biological mechanisms.

Education:

• PhD, Computational Biology, Freie Universität Berlin & Max Planck Institute, 2013
• MS, Statistics, Stanford University, 2010
• BS, Mathematics, Stanford University, 2005

Research Interests:

Love's work bridges computational methods and biological applications. Key areas include:

• Development of open-source tools like DESeq2, tximeta, and apeglm for genomic data analysis
• Analysis of allelic imbalance, transcript quantification, and differential expression
• Integration of multi-omics data to study disease mechanisms
• Reproducibility in genomic studies and metadata standardization

Grants & Awards:

• Recipient of CZI Essential Open Source Software funding for DESeq2 development
• NIH grants for studies on genetic regulation in cancer and neurodevelopment
• UNC Awards for teaching excellence and junior faculty development

Labs & Collaborations:

The Love Lab collaborates with the Mohlke lab (adipose genomics), Stein lab (neurogenetics), and Patro lab (RNA quantification). They maintain the BCB PhD program at UNC and actively contribute to the Bioconductor community.