Kinnary Shah

Brain Mapping Bias

For Kinnary Shah, a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Department of Biostatistics, an effective study routine has a few key components: multiple yellow legal pads for notes, low-fi beats on her headphones, and snacks with extra crunch.

It’s one way that she strives for maximum efficiency in her life. And Shah, who began her PhD in 2021, has a lot to juggle.

She’s working on two research projects, is the co-president of the Biostatistics Student Organization, and is a lead TA for a biostatistics class—all while making time for family and friends, exploring Baltimore, and feeding her sourdough starter. 

"People are just very welcoming and super collaborative"

“It’s important to have great time management skills and the ability to prioritize,” Shah said. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” 

From Warren, New Jersey, Shah knew early on that her interests centered on math, coding, and computer science. But it wasn’t until she went to Rutgers University for undergrad that she realized she wanted to intersect those skills with the health field. 

“I wanted to explore because I didn’t have a sense of direction at that point,” Shah said. “[Rutgers] had a lot of opportunities for women in STEM, and that was pivotal to me getting into research.” 

She conducted research in the Genetics and Public Policy departments and worked with Kier's Kidz—a nonprofit supporting children with rare cancers and other diseases—experiences that influenced her choice of a double major in public health and biomathematics.

This exploration, Shah said, helped her figure out her post-graduation plans, which led her to the PhD program in the Bloomberg School’s Biostatistics Department. 

Shah knew of the Department—considered one of the best—from the School’s #1 ranking, the high caliber of research, and advice from mentors. But the real draw was the culture of the Department. 

“People are just very welcoming and super collaborative,” said Shah. “That was important, because a PhD is hard, and you need people that are going to support you and collaborate with you and not be competitive in any way.”

Currently, Shah is deeply involved in two research projects. The first is a collaboration with the Lieber Institute for Brain Development at Johns Hopkins, where Shah works on characterizing areas of the human brain using different transcriptomic—the study of RNA molecules within a cell—technologies. 

"There is just so much support for the students here. It's a great part of the school."

Shah is working with her advisor, associate professor Stephanie Hicks, PhD, on the second project, which focuses on developing a new statistical method to correct for a bias within spatial transcriptomics,  a new type of transcriptomic technology. 

While this bias is accounted for in older forms of transcriptomic technology, newer forms have yet to account for the correction, which can lead to incorrect data that prioritizes genes with higher expression. 

“Imagine we have some type of cancer that we’re trying to understand a bit better,” Shah explains. “What if the gene that’s important is a lowly expressed gene? We wouldn’t be able to find that gene without correcting for the bias.”

Both projects are scheduled to be completed before Shah’s expected 2026 graduation. As for what’s next, her plan is to stay in the biostatistics field, whether in academia or in the industry sector. 

For now, Shah is enjoying her time in Baltimore, shopping at the city’s farmer’s markets, working as a TA, and networking with Hopkins alumni. 

“There is just so much support for the students here,” Shah said. “It’s a great part of the school.”