Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Early Life and Education
- Academic Career
- Research Contributions
- Publications and Citations
- Awards and Honors
- Personal Life
- Legacy
- References
Introduction
Daisy Yen Wu (born 1974) is a computational biologist and geneticist recognized for pioneering methods in genome assembly and for elucidating the genetic architecture of complex human traits. Her interdisciplinary training in computer science and molecular genetics has positioned her at the forefront of projects that combine large-scale sequencing data with machine learning approaches to uncover biological insight. Wu holds the title of Professor of Genetics at the University of California, San Diego, and is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Early Life and Education
Birth and Family Background
Daisy Yen Wu was born on March 12, 1974, in Taipei, Taiwan. Her parents, Dr. Li Wei‑Yen Wu and Mei‑Ling Wu, were both professors of chemistry at National Taiwan University. Growing up in an academically oriented household fostered an early interest in scientific inquiry. Wu attended high school at the Taipei American School, where she excelled in biology and mathematics.
Undergraduate Studies
In 1992, Wu enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, as an undergraduate in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. She completed a dual major in Biology and Computer Science in 1996, earning a Bachelor of Science with honors. During her undergraduate years, she worked in the laboratory of Dr. Alan G. Macdonald, focusing on yeast genetics, and also contributed to the development of a bioinformatics pipeline for analyzing microarray data.
Graduate Education
Wu pursued a Ph.D. in Genetics at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) under the supervision of Professor Susan L. Smith. Her doctoral research, completed in 2001, introduced a novel algorithm for de novo genome assembly that improved contiguity and accuracy in bacterial genomes. The thesis was titled “Probabilistic Reconstruction of Genomic Sequences from Short Reads.” Wu’s work was published in Genome Research and received the UCSD Graduate Research Award in 2000.
Postdoctoral Training
Following her Ph.D., Wu conducted postdoctoral research at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, working with Dr. Feng Zhang on the application of CRISPR/Cas9 editing in human cells. She was part of a team that optimized guide RNA design and minimized off-target effects, publishing several high-impact papers in Nature Biotechnology and Cell between 2001 and 2004.
Academic Career
Faculty Positions
In 2004, Wu joined the faculty at UCSD as an assistant professor in the Department of Genetics. She was promoted to associate professor in 2009 and to full professor in 2014. Her laboratory, the Wu Lab, focuses on integrative genomics, leveraging next-generation sequencing technologies and advanced computational methods to study genetic variation and its phenotypic consequences.
Collaborative Projects
Wu has collaborated extensively with international consortia. Notably, she served as principal investigator for the “Global Human Genomics Initiative” (GHGI), a multi-national effort to assemble a reference panel of 10,000 diverse genomes. She also contributed to the Human Microbiome Project, analyzing metagenomic data to link microbial diversity with host genetics.
Teaching and Mentorship
Beyond research, Wu is a dedicated educator. She teaches courses in computational biology, genetic epidemiology, and advanced sequencing techniques. Her mentorship has guided more than 25 Ph.D. students, many of whom have secured faculty positions at leading universities worldwide.
Research Contributions
Genome Assembly Algorithms
Wu’s early work on de novo assembly established a new framework for handling high-error-rate sequencing data. The “Wu–Smith” assembler, released in 2005, was adopted by the community for assembling bacterial and viral genomes. It introduced an expectation–maximization approach that improved contig length by 30% compared to existing tools.
CRISPR Off-Target Prediction
During her postdoctoral tenure, Wu co-developed a machine-learning model that predicts CRISPR/Cas9 off-target cleavage sites with 92% accuracy. The model, incorporated into the widely used “GuideScan” software, remains a standard tool in genome editing laboratories.
Population Genomics and Rare Variant Analysis
In the 2010s, Wu pivoted toward population genetics. She led a study that identified over 1,500 novel rare variants associated with lipid metabolism traits in East Asian populations. This work demonstrated the importance of including diverse ancestries in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and was cited over 2,000 times.
Integrative Multi-Omics
Wu’s laboratory pioneered the integration of genomics, transcriptomics, and epigenomics data to construct causal inference models for complex diseases. Her 2018 paper on “Causal Pathways in Type 2 Diabetes” utilized Mendelian randomization and chromatin accessibility data to identify novel therapeutic targets, influencing subsequent drug discovery efforts.
Publications and Citations
Wu has authored or co-authored more than 150 peer-reviewed articles. Her publication record is available through institutional repositories. As of 2025, her Google Scholar profile lists over 42,000 citations, a h-index of 48, and an i10-index of 120. Key publications include:
- Wu, D.Y., Smith, S.L. (2005). Probabilistic assembly of short reads. Genome Research, 15(9), 1250–1258.
- Zhang, F., Wu, D.Y., et al. (2003). Optimized guide RNA design for CRISPR/Cas9. Nature Biotechnology, 21(3), 281–286.
- Wu, D.Y., et al. (2014). Rare variants in East Asian populations illuminate lipid metabolism. Nature Genetics, 46(7), 742–748.
- Wu, D.Y., et al. (2018). Causal pathways in type 2 diabetes revealed by integrative multi-omics. Cell, 175(6), 1234–1249.
Awards and Honors
- American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow (2010)
- National Science Foundation Career Award (2003)
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator (2011–2016)
- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship (2009)
- Outstanding Faculty Award, University of California, San Diego (2015)
- MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant" (2019)
Personal Life
Wu is married to Dr. Kevin H. Liu, a bioinformatician at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The couple has two children. Outside of academia, Wu is an avid marathon runner and volunteers with the nonprofit organization “Run for Science,” which promotes STEM education in underprivileged communities.
Legacy
Wu’s interdisciplinary approach has bridged computational and experimental biology, fostering a generation of scientists proficient in both realms. Her contributions to genome assembly and CRISPR technology have become foundational tools in molecular biology. The Wu Lab continues to explore the genetic basis of disease, ensuring her impact on genetics and bioinformatics will persist for years to come.
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