Anthony Herzig – UBO – SEA EU Talent – Human Health


SEA EU Talent Comunication

Title: Genetic reference panels: importance for public health

Summary

For both common multifactorial disease and rare congenital disease, variations in the human genome can play important roles. But to understand complex genome-sequencing datasets requires knowledge of the genetic backdrop – we need panels of control individuals to serve as a reference. Natural (and most often neutral) variations in the genome arising from subtle differences in ancestry, for example between individuals from different European countries, further complicate this task. Specific statistical models are required and reference panels need to be suitably representative. My work centers on the construction of such panels, and their use for analyses such as missing genotype imputation, case-control epidemiological studies, and estimating population structure and history.

I will present ongoing work for a new and improved reference panel for France, describing the various challenges that we have faced along the road to its construction; as well as the perspective studies that we are planning.

Anthony Herzig short CV

2006 – 2008Fortismere 6th Form CollegeLondonA levels: Maths, Further Maths, Physics, HistoryEquivalent to Baccalauréat, Top gradesThree school awards for best student in year: Further Maths, Physics, and Mathematical Excellence 
2008 – 2011Queens’ College Cambridge University – 2008 – 2011 Bachelor of Arts (BA Honours) in MathematicsFocus on pure mathematics, logic, probability
2014 – 2015University of Southampton Master of Science (MSc) Statistics with Application in MedicineDissertation Title: Incorporating model uncertainty into multiple imputation models Final grade: Distinction Awarded the prize for best dissertation grade in my year group Awarded the Richard Newitt Postgraduate Taught Bursary by the University of Southampton
2015 – 2019Université Paris Diderot / Université Sorbonne Paris CitéInserm U946 Inserm U1141PhD thesis under supervision of Dr. Anne-Louise LeuteneggerProject title: Studying the genetic architecture of complex traits in a population isolate2 prizes at international conferencesPrix Josué Feingold de la Société Française de Génétique Humaine Awarded a competitive three-year scholarship from Sorbonne Paris Cité. In 2015, I was the only student from my field to receive this scholarship6-month ‘fin de these’ funding awarded by the Fondation Recherche Médicale2 articles published as 1st author1 article as 2nd author
2019 – PresentInserm UMR1078Génétique, génomique fonctionnelle et biotechnologiesPost-doctoral researcher specialising in population genetics, genetic epidemiology, and the development of new statistical methodologyEuropean Society of Human Genetics fellowship awarded by the Société Française de Génétique HumaineCo-Principal Investigator on successful grant application with the Institut National du Cancer4 articles published as 1st author1 article as 2nd author
Other full-time employment /career breaks before Master studiesThe Hole in the Wall, Cambridge – August 2011 to January 2013, Chef de Partie
Au Pair, Cap Ferret – March 2013 to September 2013
The Children’s House, London – January 2014 to July 2014, Special Education Needs Teacher