Two algorithmic problems in analyzing genetic and epigenetic variations

Abstract

After about four and a half years, I am finally finishing the journey of my PhD studies. At the end of this long and unforgettable trip, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the people giving me a lot of help at the beginning of my thesis. First of all, I want to show my deepest respect and genuine thanks to my supervisor, Prof. CHEN Xin, for his advice, guidance, help and encouragement to my PhD studies. During these years, he teaches me lots of his research experiences and always inspires me to find ideas to solve research problems in bioinformatics. His diligent and rigorous attitudes to scientific research also motivate me. I also want to say thanks to Prof. ZHANG Lifeng, from School of Biological Sciences (SBS), for the financial support of my last year's PhD studies. Secondly, I would like to express my thanks to all the co-authors of my research papers: Prof. TANG Kai (SBS), Prof. MU Yuguang (SBS), GAO Xiang, and HAN Nanyu, for their valuable biological experiments and precious suggestions in the work of SNP detection; Prof. ZHANG Luoxin (NUS) and WU Qiong, for their contributions to theoretical support of the SNP discovery from mass spectrometry data. I also wish to thank TIAN Ye for his help in statistical analysis of methylation data. Thirdly, I wish to show my gratitude to all the examiners for examining my thesis and providing precious suggestions. Last but not the least, I want to show my appreciation to my families and friends for their support and blessings. In particular, I would like to say thanks to my dear boyfriend, TIAN Ye, who goes with me during this long journey, for his concern, help and encouragement.