Yuk-Lap (Kevin) Yip PhD

Dr. Yip is professor and director of the Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. A leader in computational biology and bioinformatics at Chinese University of Hong Kong, he was recruited in 2022 to further elevate and accelerate Sanford Burnham Prebys’ growing capabilities and ambitions in next-generation biomedical research tools and approaches.

For almost 20 years, Dr. Yip’s research has focused on three primary interests: development of computational methods for analyzing data produced by emerging experimental technologies, such as single-cell and spatial transcriptomics; studying fundamental gene regulatory mechanisms using machine learning and data science methods; and identifying, annotating and interpreting genomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic changes in human diseases, such as cancers, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Under his leadership, the mission of the Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence is to effectively tap the almost unlimited potential of rapidly evolving large-scale data sets and computational tools in biomedical research, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary collaborations that leverage the expertise of many disciplines to reveal new actionable knowledge.

Education and Training

2010: Postdoctoral associate, Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University
2009: PhD, Computer Science, Yale University
2003: M.Phil., Computer Science, The University of Hong Kong
1999: B.Eng., Computer Engineering, The University of Hong Kong

Related Disease
Biliary Atresia, Cancer, Diabetes – General, Hirschsprung Disease, Liver Cancer, Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Type 2 Diabetes

Phenomena or Processes
Cancer Epigenetics, Gene Regulation, Oncogenes, Posttranslational Modification, Transcriptional Regulation, Tumor Microenvironment

Anatomical Systems and Sites
Endocrine System, General Cell Biology, Immune System and Inflammation, Liver

Research Models
Computational Modeling

Techniques and Technologies
Bioinformatics, Comparative Genomics, Genomics, Machine Learning, Protein-Protein Interactions, Systems Biology

The Yip lab studies gene regulatory mechanisms by means of computational modeling. To facilitate their data-centric approach, they develop novel methods for analyzing large amounts of biological data, including those produced by cutting-edge high-throughput experiments. Their computational models provide a systematic way to investigate the functional effects of different types of perturbations to regulatory mechanisms, which creates testable hypotheses for studying human diseases and facilitates translational research.