Stephen Turner

Stephen Turner is an Associate Professor of Data Science and Assistant Dean for Research at the University of Virginia School of Data Science. His work bridges genomics, data science, and national security, focusing on biosecurity, synthetic biology, conservation, and bioinformatics applications in human health. Previously, he was a faculty member in the UVA School of Medicine’s Department of Public Health Sciences (2011–2019) and directed the UVA Bioinformatics Core.

• Ph.D., Human Genetics, Vanderbilt University
• M.S., Applied Statistics, Vanderbilt University
• B.S., Biology, James Madison University

Turner’s research spans computational approaches to biosecurity, biodiversity conservation, and human health. Recent publications highlight tools like the qqman and kgp R packages, PLANES for epidemiological modeling, and biorecap for bioRxiv preprint summarization. His work integrates large-scale sequencing, genome editing, and machine learning in conservation biotechnology and public health forecasting.

Scientific contributions include applications in infectious disease forecasting, forensic genomics, and maternal-fetal biology. He has mentored interdisciplinary students and collaborated on NIH-funded research, while advising biotech startups at the intersection of academia, industry, government, and policy.