Hello and thanks for visiting!

I am a Research Investigator in the Translational Bioinformatics department of Bristol-Myers Squibb. Prior to BMS, I earned a Ph.D in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics from the Department of Molecular and Computational Biology at the University of Southern California, working in the lab of Dr. Andrew Smith. Before starting at USC in 2012, I completed a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of New Hampshire, and did research in Bioinformatics with my undergraduate advisor, Dr. Phil Hatcher. A full PDF CV is available here, although there is no guarantee it is entirely up-to-date (last updated Pi day, 2019). A more professional picture (no mountains) is available on my LinkedIn Page.

Research Interests

Broadly, I am interested in understanding how somatic mutation and epigenetic regulation of genomes contributes to cellular differentiation, speciation, and disease. My exploration of the [epi]genome has often involved implementation of custom algorithms and pipelines for analysis of next-generation sequencing technologies, and occasionally the development of new statistical or computational theory. Since joining BMS, I have focused primarily on applying my background to understanding the intricacies and evaluating potential therapies for cardiovascular and fibrotic diseases.

Recent Publications

Decato B, Lopez-Tello J, Sferruzzi-Perri AN, Smith AD, Dean MD (2017) DNA methylation divergence and tissue specialization in the developing mouse placenta. Molecular Biology & Evolution: In press [PDF] [Publisher's site]

Song Q, Decato B, Hong E, Zhou M, Fang F, Qu J, Garvin T, Kessler M, Zhou J, Smith AD (2013) A reference methylome database and analysis pipeline to facilitate integrative and comparative epigenomics. PLOS ONE 8(12): e81148 [PDF] [Publisher's site]

Kaaij LJT, van der Wetering M, Fang F, Decato B, Molaro A, Harmen JG, van der Werken H, van Es JH, Schuijers J, de Wit E, de Laat W, Hannon GJ, Clevers HC, Smith AD and Ketting RF (2013) DNA methylation dynamics during intestinal stem cell differentiation reveals enhancers driving gene expression in the villus. Genome Biology, 14:R50 [PDF] [Publisher's site]

Personal

I can say the phrase "I don't know" in approximately ten languages! My last name is pronounced duh-kay-toe. I have a soft spot for one particular Chemist. My not so professional hobbies include rock climbing, camping, soccer, snowboarding, art and music, traveling (except red-eye flights), and (perhaps badly) cooking!