Ryan K. Dale, M.S.,Ph.D.

NICHD's Bioinformatics and Scientific Programming Core (BSPC) develops new software tools, improves existing tools, builds pipelines, and applies them in collaboration with intramural investigators in NICHD across a wide range of biomedical research and basic science topics. This includes, but is not limited to, analyzing high-throughput sequencing experiments of all kinds, building websites to integrate and visualize published data, developing algorithms to assist with wet lab assays, and applying machine learning and image processing techniques. Bioinformatics tools change rapidly over time, so BSPC also builds infrastructure to record, track, and reproduce computational environments to ensure long-term support of research software.

BSPC collaborates closely with researchers to understand the underlying biological questions in their research, identify and perform the most appropriate analysis, and stay involved through each stage of scientific research from study design through published manuscript. Additionally, BSPC trains and guides individuals at all career levels to become more fluent and self-sufficient in computational work with the larger goal of boosting bioinformatics capacity across the institute.

Dr. Ryan Dale is a Senior Scientist at NICHD in the role of Scientific Information Officer for the institute and head of the Bioinformatics and Scientific Programming Core, providing bioinformatics support and collaboration as well as advising on scientific IT support. Dr. Dale received his B.S. in Biology from The College of New Jersey, M.S. in Oceanography from the University of Delaware, and Ph.D. in Marine Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Delaware. At each step he learned, built, and applied computational tools for his research, developing broad experience across multiple disciplines. In 2009 he became the bioinformatician for a group of 6 developmental biology labs in NIDDK. For eight years there he led the bioinformatics work within various research programs related to gene regulation throughout development in multiple model organisms. He also authored bioinformatics software tools that have been downloaded tens of thousands of times, and has been a regular contributor to many open source research software packages. He started the Bioinformatics and Scientific Programming Core in NICHD in 2018, and ever since has been collaborating with researchers on many topics spanning basic, translational, and clinical research.