January 2026
Co-developed and began co-teaching “Artificial Intelligence” (HAI 100B) as part of the Cedar-Sinai Health Sciences University’s PhD program in Health Artificial Intelligence.
December 2025
Promoted to Research Scientist I (assistant professor title pending) at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
September 2025
Delivered a seminar entitled “StarBASE-GP: biologically-guided automated machine learning for genotype-to-phenotype association analysis” in the Cedars-Sinai Department of Computational Biomedicine Grand Rounds.
August 2025
Awarded a five-year K01 grant entitled “Improving the prediction of opioid outcomes via automated EHR data processing” by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
March 2025
Delivered a seminar entitled “From data to decisions: AI in preoperative risk assessment for spinal fusion” in the Cedars-Sinai Division of Informatics Grand Rounds.
January 2025
Published Preoperative anemia is an unsuspecting driver of machine learning prediction of adverse outcomes after lumbar spinal fusion in The Spine Journal.
December 2024
Published Distinct network patterns emerge from Cartesian and XOR epistasis models: a comparative network science analysis in BioData Mining.
October 2024
Published PAGER: A novel genotype encoding strategy for modeling deviations from additivity in complex trait association studies in BioData Mining.
Published Realizing the potential of social determinants data in EHR systems: A scoping review of approaches for screening, linkage, extraction, analysis, and interventions in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science.
Published Assessing the limitations of relief-based algorithms in detecting higher-order interactions in BioData Mining.
Delivered a seminar entitled “A practical user’s guide for ChatGPT” at the Health Language Processing Annual Symposium 2024 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in West Hollywood, CA.
June 2024
Accepted into the UCLA CTSI K Scholars Society.
April 2024
A new PhD program in Health Artificial Intelligence has been launched at Cedars-Sinai, hosted by the Department of Computational Biomedicine. If you are interested in applying, click here!
February 2024
Published Interaction models matter: an efficient, flexible computational framework for model-specific investigation of epistasis in BioData Mining.
January 2024
Promoted to the position of Project Scientist in the Department of Computational Biomedicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Published Developing a Framework to Infer Opioid Use Disorder Severity From Clinical Notes to Inform Natural Language Processing Methods: Characterization Study in JMIR Mental Health.
Attended the 29th Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing (PSB) on the Big Island of Hawai’i and presented research on Cluster Analysis reveals Socioeconomic Disparities among Elective Spine Surgery Patients.
December 2023
Published Cluster Analysis reveals Socioeconomic Disparities among Elective Spine Surgery Patients in Biocomputing 2024.
June, 2023
Published Identifying Barriers to Post-Acute Care Referral and Characterizing Negative Patient Preferences Among Hospitalized Older Adults Using Natural Language Processing in AMIA.
April, 2023
Published Automated quantitative trait locus analysis (AutoQTL) in BioData Mining. Published Identifying Barriers to Post-Acute Care Referral and Characterizing Negative Patient Preferences Among Hospitalized Older Adults Using Natural Language Processing in AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings.
January, 2023
Made the 2022 Journal of Experimental Biology Outstanding Paper Prize shortlist for Transcriptomic and functional genetic evidence for distinct ecophysiological responses across complex life cycle stages
Fall, 2022
Accepted into the Clinical Scholar’s Program at Cedars-Sinai with a goal of an internal grant and potential K-grant submission in 2023
Summer, 2022
Published Novel digital approaches to the assessment of problematic opioid use in BioData Mining
Spring, 2022
Published Transcriptomic and functional genetic evidence for distinct ecophysiological responses across complex life cycle stages in the Journal of Experimental Biology
Published Classifying characteristics of opioid use disorder from hospital discharge summaries using natural language processing in Frontiers in Public Health
Accepted into the Grant Writing Program sponsored by Academic Affairs at Cedars-Sinai. Began position at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Fall, 2021
Accepted a postdoctoral position at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in the Department of Computational Biomedicine with Jason H. Moore, PhD.
Spring, 2021
Published The phenomics and genetics of addictive and affective comorbidity in opioid use disorder in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Completed the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) program at Penn.
Fall, 2020
Completed the course, Introduction to Python, at Penn.
Spring, 2020
Completed the course, Molecular Basis of Disease (BIOM 502) at Penn. Attended the conference, Epistasis Discovery in Genetics and Epidemiology (EDGE) 2020, in Key West, Florida from February 2-3.
Fall, 2019
Completed the courses, Introduction to Machine Learning (BMIN 521) and Statistics for Genomics and Biomedical Informatics (GCB 533) and Penn.
Summer, 2019
Completed the course, Mathematics for Machine Learning: Linear Algebra on Coursera. (Click links to view certificates)
Completed the courses, Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python), Python Data Structures, Using Python to Access Web Data, Using Databases with Python, and Retrieving, Processing, and Visualizing Data with Python on Coursera. (Click links to view certificates or here for the specialization certificate)
Recorded a podcast on Heredity Podcasts with Dr. James Burgon about one of my recent papers out of the Morgan Lab published in Heredity: Stage-specific genotype-by-environment interactions for cold and heat hardiness in Drosophila melanogaster. Link to podcast.
Spring, 2019
Accepted a postdoctoral position in the lab of Jason Moore, Ph.D. at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. My research project will investigate the genomics of addiction, specifically Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)
Published Stage-specific genotype-by-environment interactions for cold and heat hardiness in Drosophila melanogaster in Heredity.
Fall, 2018
Successfully defended my Ph.D. dissertation entitled “Phenotypic, genetic, and transcriptomic decoupling of thermal hardiness across metamorphosis in Drosophila melanogaster.
Featured as a Saint Joseph’s University Outcomes story where I provide insight and advice into how to start a career in science and the graduate student application process.
Summer, 2018
Published Ovary development and cold tolerance of the invasive pest Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) in the central plains in Environmental Entomology, May edition.
Spring, 2018
Presented a poster entitled “Phenotypic and Genetic Decoupling of Thermal Hardiness across Metamorphosis” at the 59th Annual Drosophila Research Conference in Philadelphia, PA from April 11th – April 15th.
Ovary development and cold tolerance of the invasive pest Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) in the central plains, A collaborative publication with Elizabeth Everman, Ph.D. and a group of undergraduates, was accepted for publication in Environmental Entomology.
Fall, 2017
Published the first chapter of my dissertation as “Genetic Decoupling of Thermal Hardiness across Metamorphosis in Drosophila melanogaster” in Integrative and Comparative Biology.
Summer, 2017
Gave an oral presentation entitled “Identifying mechanisms of cold hardiness across metamorphosis in Drosophila melanogaster” at the 7th International Symposium of the Environmental Physiology of Ectotherms and Plants (ISEPEP7) in Tartu, Estonia.
Traveled to Oulanka National Park, Finland to capture native drosophilids for further study with Gregory Ragland, Ph.D. and Edwina Dowle, Ph.D.
Gave an oral presentation entitled “Identifying mechanisms of cold hardiness across metamorphosis in Drosophila melanogaster” at the Ecological Genomics Summer Research Forum in Manhattan, KS.
Spring, 2017
Awarded the Roger C. Smith Ph.D. Award in Entomology ($1,000) for significant accomplishment for a student towards the end of their Ph.D.
Traveled to the University of Colorado, Denver and the new laboratory of Gregory Ragland, Ph.D. for training in RNAseq model creation and data analysis in R with Edwina Dowle, Ph.D.
Fall, 2016
Successfully passed my preliminary exams and received Ph.D. candidacy status. Taught an undergraduate course entitled “Insects and People,” which focused on how insects impact the lives of humans today and throughout history, with John Ruberson, Ph.D.
Awarded the Don C. Warren Genetic Scholarship (1,000) for Fall 2016 and Spring 2017.
Spring, 2016
Attended Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Conference in Portland, Oregon and gave an oral presentation entitled “Decoupling of physiology across metamorphosis” in the Larvae, Metamorphosis, and Life Cycles session.
Competed in the KSU Department of Entomology’s 3 Minute Thesis Competition.
Fall, 2015
Presented “Decoupling of physiology across metamorphosis” during the KSU Department of Entomology’s seminar series and passed the thesis proposal step of the Ph.D. degree program.
Started the R user group at KSU with Gregory Ragland, Ph.D. and Brett Sandercock, Ph.D.
- Taught introductory courses on R programming
Presented a poster entitled “Evolution of complex life cycles: Is performance constrained across metamorphosis?” at the 13th Annual Ecological Genomics Symposium in Manhattan, KS.
Summer, 2015
Presented “Ontogenetic constraint in the thermal physiology of Drosophila melanogaster: A genomic assessment of the adaptive decoupling hypothesis” at the Ecological Genomics Summer Research Forum at Kansas State University.
Presented “Temporal Variation at Microsatellite Loci in Wild-Caught Drosophila simulans.” at the Arthropod Genomics Research Symposium at Kansas State University.
Received certificate of completion for Quantitative Real-Time PCR protocol and diagnosis from Kansas State University. Received certificate of completion for RNA sequencing and gene expression analysis from Kansas State University.
Spring, 2015
Awarded the Reginald H. Painter Memorial Scholarship for exceptional scholastic and research-based achievements.
Awarded the Kansas State University chapter of Sigma Xi’s Grants-In-Aid-of-Research (GIAR) for submitted research proposal.
Featured on KSDB 91.9 FM Wildcat Radio’s “What’s Happening in Your World” discussing the Sigma Xi GIAR award and science in general (click here to listen)
Published Drosophila Muller F Elements Maintain a Distinct Set of Genomic Properties Over 40 Million Years of Evolution in G3-Genes Genomes Genetics
Fall, 2014
Presented a poster entitled “Temporal Variation at Microsatellite Loci in Wild-Caught Drosophila simulans” at the 12th Annual Ecological Genomics Summer Research Forum
Accepted a GRA position at Kansas State University, Department of Entomology
- Pursuit of Ph.D. in entomology
Recipient of the Timothy R. Donoghue Graduate Scholarship.
Summer, 2014
Successful Thesis Defense – Temporal Variation at Microsatellite Loci in Wild-Caught Drosophila simulans.
Spring, 2014
Commencement: Received M.S. in Biology from Saint Joseph’s University
- Recipient of the Biology Graduate Student Award
- Inducted into Alpha Epsilon Lambda – The Graduate Students Honor Society
Appeared in SJU Intellect Magazine, Spring 2014: Dangerous Invaders: Researchers Embark on Study of Asian Fruit Fly
- A magazine article discussing the recent migration of Drosophila suzukii and the multiple studies at Saint Joseph’s University aimed to better understand this invasive pest.
Appeared in MAJR Magazine: How My Major is Making a Difference.
- An article in the Spring, 2014 edition of MAJR Magazine concerning community outreach, and the GeoKids LINKS program, at Saint Joseph’s University.
Presented a poster entitled “Temporal Variation at Microsatellite Loci in Wild-Caught Drosophila simulans” at the Sigma Xi Research Symposium at Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia.
Fall, 2013
Appeared in Glow Better: Students and Faculty Collaborate to Study Fruit Pest
- An article concerning a collaborative, multi-faceted research effort at Saint Joseph’s University to study Drosophila suzukii – a new, invasive fruit fly pest in Pennsylvania.
Published An Efficient, Practical, and Reliable Drosophila Trap in Drosophila Information Service.
Spring, 2013
Published my first scientific paper: “Drosophila suzukii, or Spotted Wing Drosophila, Recorded in Southeastern Pennsylvania, U.S.A.” in Entomological News.
Fall, 2012
Accepted as graduate student (masters) in the Department of Biology at Saint Joseph’s University
- Also started my position as a GeoKids LINKS GK-12 Fellow
Summer, 2012
Attended the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB)’s Plant Biology meeting in Austin, Texas from July 20th to July 24th and collaboratively produced and presented a poster entitled “Genomic regions responsible for altered reproductive characteristics of Arabidopsis thaliana grown at elevated [CO2]”
Spring, 2012
Presented a poster entitled “Drosophila Biodiversity on the Campus of Saint Joseph’s University” at the Sigma Xi Research Symposium at Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia.
Spring, 2011
Presented a poster entitled “Computational Study of Flowering Time Genetics with “QTL Cartographer” at the Sigma Xi Research Symposium at Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia.
Fall, 2010
Appeared in Look Who’s Going Back toSchool (May have to reload once after clicking)
- An article in SJU Magazine’s Fall 2010 edition highlighting returning students and their stories. (See page 16)
Philip J. Freda, Jr., Ph.D. 