Luiz Piochi

About Me

I'm a Computer Science PhD student at Inria, passionate about leveraging computational methods to solve complex biological problems. My research focuses on the intersection of machine learning, deep learning, and bioinformatics, with a particular emphasis on:

  • Developing AI-driven algorithms for protein design and optimization
  • Predicting protein interaction networks to identify potential drug targets
  • Creating innovative tools for the improvement of in silico approaches for the design of therapeutic peptides

With a strong background in both life sciences and computer science, I bring a unique interdisciplinary perspective to my research, aiming to bridge the gap between computational methods and biological insights.

Experience

Education

PhD in Computer Science @ Université de Lorraine | IAEM

September 2024 - present

Thesis: "Learning host-pathogen surface interactome to design novel therapeutics."

MSc in Cell and Molecular Biology @ University of Coimbra

September 2020 - February 2023

Final grade: 19/20 (GPA: 3.9)

Thesis: "Multi-omics-based Drug Response Prediction of Cancer Cell Lines with DELFOS"

BSc in Biochemistry @ University of Coimbra

September 2017 - June 2020

Final grade: 17/20 (GPA: 3.6)

Thesis: "Sestrin2 and Mitochondrial Quality Control in Myogenic Differentiation"

Technical degree* in Business Administration @ ETEC

February 2014 - December 2016

* EQF4 degree

Thesis: "The Importance of HR within Companies: Teamwork and Divergences"

Skills

Programming

Basic user: SQL, JavaScript

Experienced user: Python, R, Bash

Frameworks

Numeric: numpy, pandas

Machine Learning: scikit-learn, torch, tensorflow

Bioinformatics: scRNA-seq analysis, genomics/metagenomics workflows, virtual docking, snakemake

DataViz: ggplot2, seaborn

Languages

Basic proficiency: French (A0) [currently studying], German (A1) [one year of studies @ FLUC]

High proficiency: Spanish (C1-C2), English (fluent), Portuguese (native)

Life Sciences

Molecular biology: in vitro cultures, western blotting, qPCR, transduction

Microbiology: bacterial cultures, screening and genotyping, cloning, environmental assays (bioaccumulation, bioleaching)

Publications

Portfolio

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GORGON

Developed a scalable and modular Snakemake pipeline for comprehensive microbial analysis, integrating tools like Kraken2 and Phyloseq for efficient processing and reporting.

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DELFOS

Developed a predictive algorithm leveraging multi-omics data to identify effective cancer drug responses, validated against unseen cell lines and drugs. Published on OUP Bioinformatics.

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QWERTYQueens

My mother is a biologist and one of my biggest sources of inspiration. I built this very simple typing game celebrating women in STEM, providing educational content and links to Wikipedia pages for further learning.

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Certifications

Awards