Iriza is a first-year master’s student in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology at the University of Amsterdam, with a background in neuroscience and a burgeoning interest in gene regulation, epigenetics, and disease. Her current research and coursework focus on deep learning, sequencing technologies, and the role of mobile genetic elements in genome evolution and instability. Iriza is particularly interested in the roles of retrotransposons in cancer and development, and how computational tools can decode their regulatory impact. As she develops her skills in data analysis, machine learning, and comparative genomics, her goal is to understand how transposable elements influence transcriptional control across various systems. Passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration, Iriza aims to engage with the international retrotransposon community and sees attending this course as a pivotal step in shaping her future research.