News | Tanigawa Lab

Tanigawa Lab Spring 2026 social

Fri, 08 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We had a social gathering to celebrate the near completion of the Spring 2026 quarter at Tuk Tuk Thai in Sawtelle.

We celebrated recent accomplishments, including passing written qualifying exams and an upcoming MS graduation. It was also a chance to spend time together outside regular research activities and mark the close of another productive quarter.

UCLA Tanigawa Lab is recruiting (2026)

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Are you passionate about using your skills in biomedical data science, statistical modeling, or human genetics to make a real-world impact on human health? The Tanigawa Lab at UCLA is a new group in the , established in July 2025. We are looking for highly motivated trainees to join our group.

What do we work on?

Our group investigates disease heterogeneity: why individuals differ in disease onset, progression, and treatment response. We develop statistical models and computational tools to uncover the mechanistic basis of inter-individual variation in the disease. Our long-term goal is to provide more tailored prevention and treatment strategies for everyone.

We are interested in the following topics: computational genomics, statistical modeling, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), cross-ancestry polygenic prediction, and therapeutic target discovery.

Please check our page for current research directions, representative studies, and selected external coverage.

We are recruiting multiple positions

We are looking for motivated students and postdocs. Please see the description below.

🤖 Notes on the use of Generative AI

You are more than welcome to use Generative AI for ideation, gathering information, and grammatical refinement. However, you must review, edit, and take full responsibility for the content of all submitted application materials. By submitting your application, you certify that the materials accurately and genuinely represent your own work.

Generic sentences rarely make your case strong. I'd like to hear from you.

Postdoctoral Scholars

The Tanigawa Lab has Postdoc openings.

Prospective PhD Students

We have funded PhD opportunities.

PhD Students at UCLA

If you are already at UCLA as a PhD student and interested in our lab, I would love to grab coffee with you.

Master’s and Undergraduate Students at UCLA

If you are interested in doing research within our lab, please reach out to me, explaining your motivation, interests, and qualifications.

Research Interns and Visiting Students

In some exceptional cases, the lab will accept research interns and visiting student positions.

Why join us?

The lab provides a strong computational environment and a robust network for collaboration with world-renowned experts in the field. As one of the early members of a new lab, you may also receive especially direct mentorship and the chance to help shape lab culture. I work with students, postdoctoral scholars, and visiting researchers across career stages. Please also see my for how I think about training, expectations, and support in the lab.

Let’s get in touch!

You may find me on the UCLA campus, at conferences, or by email. Please send your email to joinus [at] tanigawalab [dot] org, describe your specific interests in joining the lab, and include the most up-to-date version of your resume or CV.

📬 Notes on recruitment inquiries

Recruitment emails sent to addresses other than the joinus email address may not receive a response.

I will also ignore generic emails. Your inquiry needs to be specific to this lab.

Mentoring philosophy in the Tanigawa Lab

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I work with students, postdoctoral scholars, and visiting researchers across career stages. Although each person’s background and long-term goals are different, I strive to build a research environment that is supportive, rigorous, collaborative, and growth-oriented.

I also grow by teaching and mentoring others. As such, please consider this a growing document of my teaching and mentoring philosophy.

Mutual fit matters

A mutual fit between the advisor and the trainee is critical to ensuring that your time in the lab is productive and rewarding. I encourage prospective lab members to think carefully about their long-term goals, learn about our research, and assess its alignment with their interests and strengths.

When we talk, I want to learn what you have done. I also want to understand what kinds of problems excite you, what skills you want to build, and how I can support your development.

My goals for scientific training and mentoring

I believe research and associated analytical skills will enrich your life. When you are lucky in research, you may discover something that nobody else has seen before. At the very least, you will cultivate an ability to engage with subject matter of your choice using multiple perspectives. However, learning those skills takes effort, even with the help of advisors, colleagues, or AI. It often takes the form of an iterative process.

It will be rewarding for some, but I also understand that not everyone will enjoy the iterative process. In classroom settings, students often engage with defined problems, often with known solutions. In contrast, in research settings, it is often unclear what exactly the problem is.

As an educator and mentor, my goal is to train next-generation leaders in biomedical data science and related fields. I have somewhat different objectives at different career stages. For PhD students and postdocs, I expect them to lead independent research programs. This means that PhD students, especially senior PhD students, and postdocs should be able to clearly articulate the types of problems they are working on, why those topics are exciting and worthy of attention, why they are well positioned to lead such a study, how their findings are supported by the data, and why the work matters to the broader scientific community and/or the general public. That requires synthesizing many skills, and I will work with each individual to identify milestones in their learning trajectory and help them develop the skills they need to succeed in their careers.

For master’s and undergraduate students, having exposure to the research process is a primary goal of the mentorship. Some students may enjoy doing research and aspire to pursue a PhD, and I would be excited in that case. Others may not see PhD training as an attractive path. That is totally okay. I am grateful for the mentors who gave me research opportunities as a student. Some skills are better taught in research settings, and within our advising bandwidth, I would love to pay that forward.

Of course, grouping people by career stage is not a perfect way to address individual needs. When trainees join my group, I will use individual 1:1 meetings to assess their goals and alignment of interests. The description above is meant to give some idea of how I approach mentoring in research settings.

Research environment and professional development

The lab provides a computational environment and a strong network for collaboration with experts across human genetics, computational biology, and biomedical data science. I have extensive experience analyzing biobank-scale data, integrating omics profiles, and leveraging those findings for therapeutic target discovery.

We strive to create a highly collaborative, inclusive, and supportive environment that fosters growth and success. As one of the early members of a new lab, you may also receive especially direct mentorship and the chance to help shape lab culture.

In terms of infrastructure, the lab has a lab wiki for documentation and lab notebooks, Slack, and high-performance computing. I am happy to invest in whatever resources help you grow as a researcher, of course, within reasonable resource constraints.

Mentorship is a two-way street

Good mentoring relationships rest on commitments from both sides. Below, I describe what I aim to provide as a mentor and what I expect from trainees in return.

How I support trainees

For your training, I strive to provide the mentorship, support, and resources needed for professional success. That includes regular scientific discussion, direct feedback on project development, and opportunities to build independence over time.

In practice, trainees can use weekly meetings with me to address questions, receive feedback, and discuss next steps. I also value peer support through lab meetings, Slack, and social gatherings. As people progress, I try to provide opportunities for presentations and professional networking, including conferences and interactions with collaborators.

Expectations and scientific growth

At the same time, I expect trainees to take initiative and ownership of their education and research. Methodologies for scientific research and scientific communication are learnable skills, and I want to help people develop them deliberately. I will use a combination of weekly meetings, Slack messages, and end-of-quarter reviews to communicate my expectations and stay aligned on your scientific development.

Can you picture yourself, a few years from now, applying statistical models and computational tools to address a problem that hooks you? Would you be excited to design your training plan to reach that stage, with help from advisors and peers?

I tend to work best with individuals who have strong intrinsic motivation. Depending on the lab’s advising capacity and the fit between your background and our active projects, I may recommend that you first strengthen specific technical foundations through coursework or independent study before starting a research project.

What is it like to work with Yosuke?

Initial interactions

When you engage in a conversation with me, I will often ask what your specific interests are and what motivates you to work with me. There are many resources out there, and a broad statement like “I’m interested in AI for Health” gives me the impression that you are still exploring the field as a whole. At that stage of learning, taking classes or watching online lectures would be more appropriate so that you can make an informed decision about what to investigate in your research project. Instead, if you can communicate specifics, such as a paper that excited you, a question you keep coming back to, or a method you want to learn, that is a promising signal. Ultimately, I’d like to know what keeps you up at night, or what excites you every morning. If that aligns with what we care about as a group, I think there is a beautiful synergy, or at least good potential for it.

I have a set of questions I prefer to ask applicants, and together we will assess the alignment of interests. We will also identify potential gaps in prior training and see whether I can provide resources to help close them.

Getting started in the lab

Once you join the group, we will most likely have weekly meetings. At the beginning, I often ask you to read introductory, review, and state-of-the-art research papers. I may not give you “copy-and-paste-ready” scripts at the beginning because I believe it is critically important to expose you to the field’s literature so you develop the learning skills that enable you to catch up on the most exciting topics. We will use weekly (or more frequent) meetings to resolve your confusion. I am happy to answer your questions and provide additional resources. When there is a good foundation, I also ask you to read one or two papers in detail. Attention to detail is an important skill in research. Going through the details, evaluating your level of understanding, and articulating areas of confusion are all very important.

Research in the lab

When you are ready, you will start developing models and analyzing data. The emphasis here is that you need to understand the biomedical and statistical meaning of each computational operation. Simply because a colleague or an AI gave you some snippets does not mean they are the right strategy to pursue. We will discuss your results and progress via weekly meetings, Slack, and casual chats. Those updates are excellent opportunities to cultivate communication skills.

Scientific communication

When you have a substantial body of results, you will be asked to write them up as a manuscript. It can take time to produce a first submittable draft as a first author. That was certainly true for me. I will point you to relevant writing resources and help you acquire those skills. It may sound daunting to see repeated loops of my feedback. Through many rounds of writing, submission, and revision, I have built up a sense of what the final deliverable should look like, and I lean on that calibration during this stage. From experience, polishing the manuscript before submission is much easier than fixing major problems after the fact. When the time comes, we will submit it to a journal, revise it, and hope it is accepted for publication.

When you have a manuscript submitted, you may have the opportunity to present your work at conferences. Those decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, depending on the type of work, the kind of conference, the expected audience, the distance from the lab, the duration, scheduling constraints, and so on.

Publishing your paper

I hope you will be able to publish your work. The sense of accomplishment from the entire process can be tremendous. By that point, you will have identified a gap in humanity’s knowledge, devised a thoughtful strategy to address it, filled that gap, and satisfied your peers to a reasonable standard. You will have added a new piece of information to human knowledge, which may be cited and used by many others.

Who is likely to enjoy working with our group?

Research takes time and effort. There are moments that require dedicated effort, such as conference deadlines or degree progress milestones like the oral defense or thesis submission. In our field, long hours do not necessarily lead to better outcomes. Your computational analyses may give you sensible results on the first try, or you may need to iterate 10 times. We each need to find our own balance. Having a north star will support you in challenging times. If you lose sight of why you are engaged in research, it will be difficult to overcome challenges.

I’d like to work with someone with genuine intellectual curiosity, internal drive, and a growth mindset. It took me years to become a researcher with reasonably strong research skills, thanks to my mentors’ patience. Doing good research, practicing good science, and mentoring well are all ongoing processes.

📣 Recruiting

We are recruiting at all levels. Please check the Join Us page for more information.

Success of past trainees

Over time, I have mentored around 20 students spanning high school through graduate training. Former informal mentees have presented at major conferences, received awards, and moved on to competitive positions. You may see some examples of trainee presentations at the . I often introduce current trainees to former mentees, so you can see role models walking a few years ahead of you.

Learn more

If this mentoring style resonates with you, you may also want to look at our , , and pages.

I also recommend the following resources for thinking about graduate training and research:

by Phillips and Johnson, a general guide to graduate training and research habits.
by Uri Alon, an essay on identifying research problems worth pursuing.

Yosuke received Early Career Award from Japan Science and Technology Agency

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Yosuke received a JST PRESTO award from the , one of Japan’s core public funding bodies for promoting scientific research.

Similar to the U.S. National Science Foundation’s CAREER award program, the PRESTO awards recognize high potential in early-career scientists. This year’s awards, announced Sept. 18 by the agency, include a three-and-a-half year, $200,000 grant to support Yosuke’s research.

Read the full announcement on the .

UCLA Tanigawa Lab is recruiting

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Are you passionate about using your skills in biomedical data science, statistical modeling, or human genetics to make a real-world impact on human health? The Tanigawa Lab at UCLA is looking for highly motivated trainees to join our group.

We are a new group established in July 2025 in the at the University of California, Los Angeles. As of October 2025, we have 1 PhD student, 1 master student, and 1 undergraduate student in our group.

What do we work on?

Our group investigates disease heterogeneity: why individuals differ in disease onset, progression, and treatment response. We apply computational and statistical approaches to uncover the mechanistic basis of inter-individual variation in the disease, with the long-term goal of providing more tailored prevention and treatment strategies for everyone. We are interested in the following topics:

Computational genomics for disease heterogeneity dissection
Statistical modeling (e.g., predictive modeling on large-scale data and causal inference)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) investigating disease mechanisms from genetics, single-cell, and multi-omics
Cross-ancestry polygenic prediction and integration of biological annotations
Therapeutic target discovery and validation from human genomic evidence

We are recruiting multiple positions

We are looking for motivated students and postdocs who are excited to work at the intersection of computational genomics, statistical modeling, and precision medicine. Please see the description below according to your career stage and affiliations.

Postdoctoral Researchers

The Tanigawa Lab has Postdoc openings. You may submit your application on the job application portal

Postdoctoral Scholars will work closely with me on mutually agreed interdisciplinary projects to develop foundational methodologies for dissecting disease heterogeneity and apply them to study specific aspects of disease biology.

A mutual fit between the advisor and trainee is critically important to ensure the success of your time in the lab. In the Cover Letter (up to two pages), please describe your specific interests in joining our group, along with your assessment of the nature of the fit between your background, future goals, and our research environment.

We expect you to have a Ph.D. or equivalent qualification in biomedical data science or a closely related discipline at the date of hire. The start date is flexible. Here are some descriptions for the requested documents.

Curriculum Vitae: Your most recently updated CV with a complete list of publications, preprints, and submitted manuscripts.
Cover Letter (up to two pages): Please describe your specific interests in joining our group, along with your assessment of the nature of the fit between your background, future goals, and our research environment. Please indicate the expected start date and provide your contact information (email and phone).
Statement of Research (up to two pages): Please describe your past and current research accomplishments, their relevance for your future research projects in the lab, and your long-term (> 5 years) research goal(s).
Statement of Teaching (Optional, up to two pages): If you have experience or interests in mentoring students for research projects, please describe them in this optional statement.
Reference Check Authorization Release Form: Please complete and upload the Reference Check Authorization Release Form provided on the application portal.
Misc / Additional (Optional): If your representative manuscript has not been accepted for publication or is not available on a preprint server, please consider sending those materials to me via email.

We will review applications on a rolling basis and encourage early submissions. We will contact the shortlisted finalists. In the meantime, I encourage you to apply for postdoctoral fellowships, and I am happy to provide you with the best possible support. The position will remain open until filled.

Notes on the use of Generative AI: You are more than welcome to use Generative AI for ideation, gathering information, and grammatical refinement. However, you must review, edit, and take full responsibility for the content in all submitted application materials. By submitting your application, you certify that the materials are an accurate and genuine representation of your own work.

You may submit your application on . If you have questions,

Prospective PhD Students

The Tanigawa Lab has funded PhD opportunities and can accept students through the Bioengineering Department. Please check the eligibility and requirements for the and apply accordingly. Our research area (fields of study) is . The application deadline is December 1, 2025. I strongly encourage you to before the application deadline to discuss your motivation, interests, and qualifications.

In your application, please indicate me as a potential Faculty Advisor for your graduate training. The Field 4: Biomedical Data Sciences (BDS) is the most relevant field for our research. In your Statement of Purpose, please describe your specific research interests.

I have learned that there is a bug in the application portal: new faculty members (including myself) are currently not listed under the “Faculty Selection” section on the application portal. The IT team managing the application portal is aware of the issue and is working to resolve it. If you face technical challenges selecting my name in your application, please list Prof. Aaron Meyer, the Field Chair for BDS, instead in the application portal. Regardless, please mention my name in your Statement of Purpose.

If you are not familiar with the styles of application materials, you may find it helpful to review developed by MIT School of Engineering’s Communications Lab. They organize guides and examples by academic discipline. My research spans the following disciplines: Biomedicine & Genomics, Biological Engineering, and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science.

For your graduate training, I will provide the necessary mentorship, support, and resources to ensure your professional success. You may use weekly meetings with the PI to address any questions you may have and peer support via lab meetings, Slack, and social gatherings. As you move forward, the PI will provide presentation and professional networking opportunities (e.g., conferences). At the same time, I expect students to take the initiative and ownership of their graduate education. I recommend by Phillips and Johnson as a general resource that guides you through the process.

PhD Students at UCLA

If you are already admitted to a graduate program at UCLA and are interested in working with me on research projects (including laboratory rotation), I’d be glad to meet for coffee on campus to discuss your interests. Please .

Masters and Undergraduate Students at UCLA

If you are interested in doing research within our lab, please reach out to me, explaining your motivation, interests, and qualifications. As with any subject matter, methodologies for scientific research and scientific communications are learnable skills. I prefer to work with individuals with intrinsic motivations. Depending on the advising capacity of the lab, we may prioritize students whose background aligns clearly with our research interests. Sometimes, we may advise you to study specific technical aspects in classes before working on research projects. Please .

Research Interns and Visiting Students

In some exceptional cases, the lab will accept research interns and visiting student positions. The preference is given to students/visitors who would like to use the research experience in the lab towards scientific publications. Please .

Why join us?

The Lab provides a computational environment and robust network for collaborations with world-renowned experts in the field. The PI has extensive experience in analyzing biobank-scale data, integrating omics profiles, and leveraging these findings for nominating attractive therapeutic targets. The PI has mentored ~20 students from high school students to graduate students. The former informal mentees have presented at major conferences, acquired recognitions via awards, and secured competitive positions. You may see some examples of trainee presentations at the . We strive to create a highly collaborative, inclusive, and supportive environment that fosters the growth and success of our team members. As one of the first hires in the new lab, you will have dedicated mentorship from the PI to support your professional development

Where can you learn more about our work?

A mutual fit between the advisor and trainee is critically important to ensure the success of your time in the lab. To that end, I strongly encourage you to consider your long-term career goals, learn about our work, and assess its alignment with your objectives. When we meet, I am happy to learn about your specific interests and discuss how my lab and I can support your professional success.

You may find out about our research interests in our recent and coverage in the news. Below are some of our recent news coverage.

Joining UCLA as Assistant Professor in Bioengineering

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Yosuke Tanigawa joined UCLA as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering in July 2025.

The lab studies disease heterogeneity from computational and statistical perspectives. We work to understand why individuals differ in disease onset, progression, and treatment response.

Before joining UCLA, Yosuke trained at the MIT Computational Biology Lab with Manolis Kellis. He completed his PhD in Biomedical Informatics at Stanford University, where he worked with Manuel Rivas and Gill Bejerano.