Dr. Leonid Kruglyak stands as a preeminent leader in human genetics and genomics, renowned for his pioneering contributions to understanding the molecular basis of genetic variation. He currently serves as Chair of the Department of Human Genetics and holds the distinguished title of Distinguished Professor of Human Genetics and Biological Chemistry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, positions he has held since his appointment in 2013 and subsequent chairmanship beginning in July 2016. Prior to his tenure at UCLA, Dr. Kruglyak was a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University, where he was named the inaugural William R. Harman '63 and Mary-Love Harman Professor in Genomics in 2010. His distinguished career trajectory also includes significant tenure as an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and faculty positions at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, where he maintained an affiliate professorship at the University of Washington.
Dr. Kruglyak's groundbreaking research has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of how DNA-level changes are shaped by molecular and evolutionary forces to produce observable differences among individuals within a species. His innovative work integrating computational approaches with experimental biology has led to seminal discoveries regarding the genetic architecture of complex traits, particularly through his development of novel analytical methods that solved previously intractable problems in genetics. Notably, his insight connecting the fast Fourier transform algorithm to genetic computation enabled breakthrough efficiency in genome analysis, a contribution that initially met with skepticism but was rapidly recognized as transformative by the scientific community. His laboratory's dual approach—combining experimental studies in model organisms like yeast and worm with sophisticated computational analyses—has yielded profound insights into gene-environment interactions, variation in protein levels, and the genetic basis of drug sensitivity and resistance.
Beyond his direct research contributions, Professor Kruglyak has been instrumental in shaping the landscape of modern genetics through his leadership as chair of UCLA's Department of Human Genetics and his continued service as an HHMI Investigator since 2008. His mentorship has cultivated a new generation of quantitative geneticists, with his former students and postdocs establishing themselves as independent investigators across leading institutions worldwide. As a founding member of the Computational Biosciences Institute at UCLA, he continues to champion interdisciplinary approaches that bridge computational science and experimental biology to tackle increasingly complex questions in genomics. His ongoing research program, leveraging CRISPR technology and advanced genomic analyses, promises to further elucidate the genetic mechanisms underlying common diseases and advance the field toward more precise diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.
