Aravinda Chakravarti is stepping down as director of the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins University in order to lead the IGM’s new Center for Complex Disease Genomics, where he will “use genomic methods to clarify the molecular underpinnings of common diseases, including birth defects, hypertension, sudden cardiac death, and autism,” according to a Hopkins statement.
David Valle will replace Chakravarti at the helm of the IGM. Valle currently leads the Center for Inherited Disease Research and the predoctoral training program in human genetics at Hopkins. He is a past president of the American Society of Human Genetics, a member of the board of scientific overseers of the Jackson Laboratory, and a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
VizX Labs has appointed Peter Roberts as director of science. Prior to joining VizX, Roberts was senior manager of bioinformatics at Celera Genomics. He also held scientific positions at Serono, Genzyme, and the US Department of Agriculture.