Michi "Emma" Kumagai

Emma is a PhD student in Human Genetics with a passion for advancing psychiatric genetics through bioinformatics approaches. Her research focuses on neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Emma has been working on a biobank-scale Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) to identify common genetic variants influencing ASD severity among diverse populations. By combining functional analyses with assessments of a longitudinal cohort for behavioral changes associated with the genetic variance, her work aims to deepen the understanding of these genetic factors, prioritize key genes, and contribute to pharmacogenetics for novel therapeutic discovery.