Arbel Harpak: Pursuing the next frontier in genetics | Dell Medical School

Sex is a key factor in evolution, health and disease. But we know little about how gender differences play out – even though they are strong, such as in the higher incidence of autism spectrum disorders for men or autoimmune disease for women. Supported by the Pew Scholarship, of Harpak the lab will pursue new directions in understanding how biological sex matters in genetics and evolution.

Questions and answers with Harpak:

What does the Harpak Lab do and how will the Pew Fellowship support your work over the next four years?

My group studies how genetic variation evolves: how it arises through molecular processes and how it is later shaped by natural selection. We are also interested in the outcome of this process – how genetic variation maps into trait variation, which has an impact on things like disease susceptibility, behavior and fitness.

Answers to these questions have been proposed for centuries. However, the incredible range of data collected over the past two decades has revolutionized what can be learned from genetic variation and inspired new questions.Laboratory work includes mathematical modeling and genomic data science.

Thanks to the Pew Fellowship, the group will develop new models of the drivers of sex differences and scour large databases to test the predictions of these models. This work may improve our ability to predict sex-specific genetic disease risk and advance our understanding of the role of sex in evolution.

Mentoring is an important part of your job. How have your mentors shaped your role as a leader now?

My Masters was probably the first time I started seriously thinking about a career in research, thanks in large part to Guy Sella, who made getting into population genetics incredibly exciting. Ph.D. advisor at Stanford, Jonathan Pritchard, shaped me as a scientist and has been a role model for me.

After my PhD, I spent three rich years as a Simons Foundation Fellow and postdoc at Columbia University working with Molly Przeworsky. I can’t put into words how invaluable her mentorship has been (and still is) to me. She set the bar extremely high in terms of rigor, courage, honesty and collegiality. She also provided invaluable support during what have been personally difficult years.

I realized that the greatest impact I could have on the field would be through facilitating, supporting, advising and mentoring future generations.

Arbel Harpak, Ph.D.

As I began planning my lab, I reflected on my mentorship experience translated into my goals as a group leader. I realized that the greatest impact I could have on the field would be through facilitating, supporting, advising and mentoring future generations.

Honors like the Pew Fellowship are ultimately the result of the enthusiasm and dedication of the students and postdocs I’ve been lucky enough to work with in the lab. My second favorite part of the job is when trainees persevere in the face of challenges and come out the other side with innovative solutions and responses; My absolute favorite part is when they come up with good questions.

In 200 words or less, share a little about what first inspired you to become a scientist.

I grew up in Israel. My family moved a lot, but always stayed away from the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea, where I spent a lot of my time. I was very much into maths and wildlife from a young age, but I hadn’t intended to be an academic; no one in my family was, and playing outside (did I mention the beach yet?) filled up a good chunk of my schedule.

After saving up to go to school, I began my bachelor’s studies in mathematics and philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and later added physics to the mix. I really enjoyed studying mathematics. I never knew—and probably never would have known without my math education—what it feels like to deeply and fundamentally understand the subject of study. This feeling was and continues to be a source of real joy for me.