Dr Zed Chen, Bioinformatician | Computational Biologist
I am a Bioinformatician at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), where I use genomics, phylogenetics, and high-performance computing to support biodiversity research. With a PhD in Evolutionary Genomics and over five years of experience in next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis, I specialize in developing scalable pipelines for non-model organisms, helping RBGE explore and conserve plant diversity.
In my role at RBGE, I lead bioinformatics workshops, training students and staff in NGS data analysis, pipeline automation, and reproducible research. My work includes species identification using genome skimming data, SSR (simple sequence repeat) detection, and genome assembly from target capture datasets. I also provide technical support to researchers, ensuring robust data analysis workflows for projects in evolutionary biology, conservation genomics, and plant systematics.
I earned my PhD from the University of Edinburgh, where I developed comparative genomics workflows for complex mitochondrial genomes in parasites. My collaborations with institutions like ITM Antwerp and NIAID Bethesda have strengthened my ability to bridge computational tools and biological research. Outside of the lab, I enjoy science communication, creating botanical illustrations and contributing to citizen science with the Edinburgh Natural History Society and Scottish Orchid Society.
At RBGE, I combine my technical skills with a passion for plant science, advancing biodiversity genomics while fostering a collaborative research environment. My work supports RBGE’s mission to lead in botanical research and conservation.