CDS Assistant Professor Pawel Przytycki Named Hariri Institute Junior Faculty Fellow
Computational biologist recognized for interdisciplinary research bridging computer science and genomics
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Pawel Przytycki, Assistant Professor in Boston University’s Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences and core faculty member in the Bioinformatics Program June 3, 2025: Pawel Przytycki, Assistant Professor in Boston University’s Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences and core faculty member in the Bioinformatics Program, has been named a 2025 Junior Faculty Fellow by the Rafik B. Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science & Engineering.
The prestigious fellowship honors early-career faculty whose research is advancing the frontiers of computing and data science across disciplines. Przytycki is one of four BU faculty members selected for the 2025 cohort.
"I am thrilled to be joining the Hariri community! Data-driven research is a core component of computational biology, and the Hariri Institute's support of early-career faculty is crucial to advancing our work,” Przytycki said.
A computational biologist by training, Przytycki develops algorithms to analyze large-scale, high-dimensional genomic data. His work focuses on understanding how non-coding genetic variants contribute to development, disease, and other complex biological phenomena. His lab—the Przytycki Lab for Computational Genomics—investigates problems in gene regulation, epigenomics, and multimodal data integration, blending statistical models, graph theory, and machine learning to uncover patterns in genomic datasets.
“Pawel’s work sits at the cutting edge of computational biology, integrating machine learning, network science, and multi-omics data to tackle complex biomedical questions. His deeply interdisciplinary approach aligns perfectly with our mission and collaborative community of computing and AI researchers," said Yannis Paschalidis, director of the Hariri Institute.
Since joining BU in 2022, Przytycki has secured competitive research funding, including a $50,000 BU CTSI Cancer Research Grant to investigate the regulatory roles of noncoding somatic mutations in tumors. He also co-organized the 2024–2025 Quantitative Biology Seminar Series, which convened researchers across computational biology, experimental science, and theoretical modeling to explore emerging intersections between biology and data science.
"Pawel embodies the spirit of the Hariri Institute’s Junior Faculty Fellows Program, which recognizes emerging leaders whose research pushes the boundaries of computational and data-driven inquiry. His work sits squarely at the intersection of foundational computing and transformative applications in biology—exactly the kind of interdisciplinary innovation Hariri was created to support,” said Azer Bestavros, Associate Provost for Computing & Data Sciences and Founding Director of the Hariri Institute for Computing. "As a faculty member in Computing & Data Sciences, Pawel’s contributions exemplify our commitment to advancing knowledge through collaborative, cross-cutting research that has real-world impact.”
The Junior Faculty Fellows Program provides a $10,000 research award, fosters collaboration across the BU research community, and offers leadership opportunities through the Hariri Institute’s Distinguished Speaker Series. Przytycki’s fellowship will run from May 2025 through May 2028.