Soumitra Pal

Staff Scientist at the National Eye Institute (NEI), National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Computational BiologyBioinformaticsGenomicsAlgorithm DesignEvolutionary GeneticsDigital Signal Processing

About

I am Soumitra Pal, a Staff Scientist at the National Eye Institute (NEI) within the NIH. My career has been a unique journey from software design engineering at Texas Instruments to deep academic research in computational biology and genomics. I specialize in biological sequence analysis and algorithm design, with a particular focus on the evolution of the eye and X-chromosome dosage compensation. I am passionate about abstracting complex biological problems into algorithmic models and advocate for open science through accessible, short-format publications. I enjoy mentoring the next generation of scientists and frequently share opportunities for internships and roles in BioAI and bioinformatics. I'm here to connect with fellow researchers and professionals in the genomics and chromatin biology space to share insights and support the growth of our scientific community.

Networking

What I can offer

›Expertise in biological sequence analysis and algorithm design
›Mentorship for junior researchers and students
›Visibility for hiring notices in genomics and bioinformatics

Looking for

›expanding my professional network
›exploring mutual opportunities in Computational Biology and Genomics

Best fit for

Chromatin biology researchersBioinformatics professionalsGenomics leadersPhD students and interns

Current Interests

Evolution of the eye across the Tree of LifeMotif search algorithmsX-chromosome dosage compensationIntersection of AI and genomicsGraph coloring problems

Background

Career

Transitioned from software engineering at Texas Instruments to academic research, moving through IIT Bombay and the University of Connecticut before joining NCBI and finally the NIH.

Education

PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Bombay (2007–2012); M. Tech. in Computer Science - Algorithms from IIT Bombay (2005–2007); Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science & Technology from IIEST, Shibpur (1996–2000).

Achievements

›Published research on X-chromosome dosage compensation in Drosophila in microPublication Biology
›Designed features for TI DSP Instruction Set Simulators to improve developer efficiency
›Maintained a 9.0/10 grade during PhD studies at IIT Bombay
›8+ years of experience in biological sequence analysis

Opinions

Believes in abstracting real-life problems into algorithmic models to find solutions through theoretical computer science.
Advocates for short-format publications to ensure findings are citable and accessible even if they don't fit traditional formats.