Dr. Melissa Konopko is a Technical Program Manager for the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health, managing the Genomic Knowledge Standards, Data Use and Researcher IDs, and Data Security Work Streams. Her dissertation research focused on the impact of the fetal environment on the epigenetics and transcriptomics of brain development in autism. During this time, she completed internships in Science Communications and Intellectual Property for the Biosciences. She gained interest and experience in computational biology while researching traumatic brain injury at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Prior to returning to science, she spent a decade in financial investments and business. She obtained a PhD from University of Maryland, Baltimore and an MBA from University of Maryland, University College. Her main interests lie at the intersection between scientific research and its real world application.