BOSC 2025 Keynotes

Chris Mungall (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

Open Knowledge Bases in the Age of Generative AI

(Keynote talk for joint BOSC/BOKR session)

Dr. Chris Mungall is a Senior Scientist at Berkeley Lab, where he heads the Biosystems Data Science department in the Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division. Chris’s research interests center around the capture, computational integration, and dissemination of biological research data, and the development of methods for using this data to elucidate biological mechanisms underpinning the health of humans and of the planet. He and his team have led the creation of key biological ontologies for the integration of resources covering gene function, anatomy, phenotypes and the environment, including the the Uberon anatomy ontology, the Cell Ontology (CL), and the Mondo disease ontology. He is also one of the cofounders of the OBO Foundry.

Chris and his collaborators develop systems that translate data and knowledge into a computable form and apply it to answer complex biological and biomedical questions. His areas of focus include ontologies, systems biology, data science, biocuration, knowledge representation, data harmonization, reusable and interoperable software, knowledge graphs, machine learning and reasoning. For decades, he has been a strong advocate for open-source bioinformatics software, open standards, and open science.

Chris, who has a PhD in bioinformatics from the University of Edinburgh, is a PI on the Gene Ontology (GO), the Monarch Initiative, the Alliance of Genome Resources, Phenomics First, and the NCATS Biomedical Data Translator, as well as metadata lead for the National Microbiome Data Collaborative (NMDC). In 2017, Chris was the first person to be awarded the Exceptional Contributions to Biocuration Award by the International Society for Biocuration. In 2020, he received a Berkeley Lab Early Scientific Career Director’s Award.

Catalina Lopez-Correa (Genome Canada)

Genomics Without Borders: Toward Equitable Access for All

With more than 20 years of international experience in both the academic and private sectors, Dr. Catalina Lopez-Correa’s deep understanding of genomics and innovation has inspired leaders in science and industry to collaborate toward solving some of the world’s greatest challenges.

Dr. Lopez-Correa holds an M.D. from the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Colombia and a PhD in Medical Biosciences from the KULeuven in Belgium. Before becoming the Chief Scientific Officer of Genome Canada in 2021, she served as Executive Director and CSO of the Canadian COVID-19 Genomics Network (CanCOGeN). Before that, she was COO at Ruta N Medellín, where she coordinated the operations of a world-class innovation hub that uses cutting edge technologies and approaches to solve the most pressing social and economic challenges of Medellín, Colombia.

Before becoming one of Canada’s leading advocates for genomics, Dr. Lopez-Correa held senior research positions with pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly in the US, the deCODE genetics lab in Iceland, and two biotech companies in the UK (Genomica and Informax). As part of her commitment to international development, Dr. Lopez-Correa has championed several initiatives aimed at demonstrating the impact of genomics and innovation in developing countries and is the founder of Global Gene, a genomics awareness initiative for the Global South. She is committed to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion, with a particular interest in gender equity in science that led her to be a co-founder of the IWS Network (International and Immigrant Women in Science).

In 2017 Dr. Lopez-Correa received the Canadian Senate 150th Anniversary Medal. In 2013 she was recognized by Colombia’s National Order of Merit Award in the Rank of Officer.