UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Anton Nekrutenko, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the Eberly College of Science at Penn State, has been appointed as the first Dorothy Foher Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Genomics.

"We are delighted to be able to recognize the sustained and excellent work of Dr. Nekrutenko with this Huck Chair,” said Troy Ott, acting director for the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and professor of reproductive biology in the Department of Animal Science. “Anton is a key leader in a large multidisciplinary group working in the area of genomics and bioinformatics. His sustained record of accomplishment developing platforms, tools and innovations for genomic analysis has not only raised games for researchers at Penn State but also around the globe.”

Nekrutenko's lab is the birthplace of Galaxy, an open, web-based platform for accessible, reproducible and transparent computational research. The platform eliminates the complexities inherent in research that requires complex programming for high-performance compute (HPC) big-data analyses. Although developed by bioinformaticians, Galaxy is a flexible platform that can be used for data intensive research in virtually any scientific discipline, and has expanded to a worldwide community with continuous, ongoing enhancements.

“For over a decade, the Galaxy Project has worked to solve issues plaguing modern data intensive biology—the ability of researchers to access cutting-edge analysis methods, the ability to share analysis results transparently, and ensuring that complex computational analysis can be precisely reproduced,” Nekrutenko said. “Galaxy has become one of the largest and most widely used open source platforms for biological data science. Promoting openness and collaboration in all facets of the project, from technical decisions to training and leadership, has enabled us to build a vibrant community of users, developers, system engineers, and educators who continuously contribute new features, add the latest tools, build training materials, and lead research and training workshops."

Anton and his team most recently used Galaxy to describe the assembly of 51 animal genomes. The work was published in Nature Biotechnology.

"Professor Nekrutenko is a force in bioinformatics and genomics. He developed the Galaxy platform that provides free, open access to computational tools and allows both novice and skilled users to conduct rigorous, reproducible and transparent analyses of large genomic datasets,” said Ross Hardison, professor emeritus of biochemistry and molecular biology. “He has led the international effort to constantly improve and expand the Galaxy platform, making it a vital part of the computational infrastructure that enables the analyses required to derive biologically important insights from genomics data."

Nekrutenko’s current Huck affiliations include two intercollege graduate degree programs: bioinformatics and genomics and molecular, cellular and integrative biosciences.

“We look forward with eager anticipation to his continued leadership and impact in these areas," Ott said.

Nekrutenko completed a master’s degree at Kiev State University, doctorate at Texas Tech University and a post-doc at University of Chicago.