Theodore Perkins

Dr. Perkins is a Computer Scientist specializing in AI/Machine Learning and Bioinformatics methods for analyzing clinical and molecular biology data, especially high-throughput "Omics" data. He develops new algorithms and representations, particularly focused on gene regulatory networks, epigenomics, and biomarker discovery. He works with biologists and clinicians and numerous applications of these ideas, with a particular emphasis on muscle stem cells and degenerative diseases, and blood development and leukemias. He also has a broader interest in development, including in model organisms such as Drosophila and C. Elegans, as well as human development. 

He holds a BA from Carleton College with a Major in Computer Science, an MSc in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His PhD was done under the supervision of Prof. Andrew Barto, one of the co-founders of the subfield of AI called Reinforcement Learning, and focused on Safety in AI. He did Postdoctoral training at McGill University under Profs. Leon Glass and Michael Hallett.

Dr. Perkins is also an Associate Professor with the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa, with cross-appointments to the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and the Ottawa-Carleton Institute of Biomedical Engineering.