Dr. Visel joined the DOE Joint Genome Institute in 2010. As the Deputy for Science Programs, he focuses on the development and implementation of strategic initiatives at the JGI. He also oversees the scientific directions and administration of the JGI User Programs. Dr. Visel received his Ph.D. in 2004 from the Max Planck Institute in Hanover, Germany, where he developed novel tools for large-scale in situ gene expression analysis in multicellular organisms. During his postdoctoral training at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, he developed and applied novel computational and experimental sequence-based methods for elucidating the gene regulatory landscape of vertebrate genomes, which led to the discovery of thousands of genetic switches implicated in developmental and disease processes in the human genome. In addition to his appointment at the DOE Joint Genome Institute, Dr. Visel also holds appointments as a Senior Staff Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and as an Associate Adjunct Professor at the School of Natural Sciences at the University of California, Merced. Dr. Visel was named JGI Interim Director in March 2016. Awards and Honors 2014 LBNL Director’s Award for Exceptional Achievement, 2009 LBNL Outstanding Performance Award, 2006 AHA Lievre Fellowship Award, 2000 Boehringer Ingelheim Fellow.