Gabriel Darcy

My background consists of strong programming skills in R, python and SQL as well as significant training in Mathematics, Statistics, Biology and Physics, which positions me well to contribute in multidisciplinary areas such as bioinformatics, data science and computational biology. Additionally, I bring over two and a half years of hands-on experience in molecular diagnostics and PCR assay development, where I created dashboards to analyze and visualize large datasets resulting in halving the time required to produce assays. I also have five years of leadership and organizational experience gained through coaching and as a co-founder of an online coaching platform.

As a Research Assistant – Data Scientist at the University of Galway, I have developed and implemented an R Shiny dashboard that reduced assay analysis time by 50%, analyzed assay performance for clinical settings, and wrote Python scripts to extract gene regions from whole genomes. I identified a novel gene target for a bacteria discovered outside Earth’s atmosphere, contributing to a potential NASA assay for the ISS. Additionally, I executed pangenome pipelines, managed a sequence database for PCR/LAMP assay design, and collaborated with international teams from Ireland, Spain, the USA, the Netherlands, and Pakistan. I presented research at the College of Science and Engineering Research and Innovation Day 2024, authored one publication with two more in progress, and designed PCR assays for septicemia-related pathogens. I also mentored final-year students in bioinformatics and conducted literature reviews for external projects.

I obtained my MSc from the University of Galway in 2022 in Genomics Data Science and I have a BSc in Open Science from The Open University where I specialized in Mathematics and Statistics, graduating in 2020.