Theodore M. Nelson, B.A.
Theodore M. Nelson is a bioinformatics specialist at Weill Cornell Medicine in the lab of Christopher E. Mason. He completed a B.A. in Computer Science at Columbia University (2024) and is currently completing an MPhil in Medical Science at Cambridge University.
He leads major epitranscriptomics projects including generation of organ epitranscriptome atlases, comparative analyses across species, and collaborative environmental epitranscriptomics work with Columbia University. His study of human spaceflight epitranscriptomics has been published in Nature Communications and Nature.
His work has been supported by the National Institute of Health, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the New York Space Grant, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the Stephens Family Charitable Foundation, and the National Science Foundation. He has reviewed for Nature Genetics and Science.
Theo previously taught General Chemistry Lab at Columbia and founded the high school lab program Glass Half Full or Empty: Illuminating the Human Transcriptome, providing underserved students access to long-read sequencing research.
He shares educational bioinformatics content through his YouTube channel MakeTheBrainHappy – Scientific Exploration, which has 600+ subscribers, 80K views, and 6K watch hours.
Recipient of the Churchill Scholarship and the Charles M. Rolker Jr. Prize.