Stephen (Stevie) Pederson
Bioinformatician
B. Mus, B. Ma & Comp Sc (Hons), PhD
Dr Pederson is a specialist in the analysis of genomic data with expertise in statistics, R programming and gene regulation. Their primary role with The Kids Research Institute Australia is to drive the analysis of key aspects of the PROPHECY Study (Predicting Renal, OPhthalmic, and Heart Events in the Aboriginal Community) aimed at identifying molecular signatures of disease complications and developing strategies for improving health outcomes within communities.
As an early career opportunity, Dr Pederson led the Bioinformatics Hub at the University of Adelaide (2014-2020) working closely with researchers across a diversity of fields, ranging from Ecology and Agriculture to Immunology and Neurodegenerative Disease. They developed a comprehensive suite of training materials for teaching bioinformatics to postgraduate students and researchers, going on to lead the largest annual training event in Australia for analysis of biological data using the language R, and becoming a sought-after instructor in the corporate sector.
Whilst undertaking their PhD at the Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Dr Pederson developed a novel statistical approach for the detection of alternate transcripts within T cells in response to immune activation, with a doctorate being awarded in 2018. Working as part of the Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Laboratories, Dr Pederson has also invested considerable time and effort characterising the combined gene regulatory activity of the Estrogen and Androgen receptors in Breast Cancer, combining multi-layered data such as epigenetic marks, gene expression and chromatin structure. This remains an active collaborative space, with a particular focus on the dynamics of gene regulation and changes to the regulatory network under drug-treated conditions, which will also lead to significantly improved patient outcomes for those diagnosed with breast cancer.
Beyond research at The Kids Research Institute Australia, Stevie remains an active part of the national music community, having made numerous performances at key National Festivals, touring internationally, and appearing on multiple recordings.