Hello, My name is Iraj, I’m a physicist interested in the organizing principles of life and how they go awry. I’m currently a postdoc at the New York Genome Center primarily in the Imieliski lab, where I research cancer genomes and their structure.
Specifically I study complex structural variants, which are cancer-induced changes in genomic ordering, topology, and copy number. These are hard to detect and characterize, so I’m developing computational methods to rigorously study their structure and development using sequencing and conformation capture data (stay tuned for more).
My background is in statistical mechanics, I spent my PhD years at NYU’s Center for Soft Matter Research developing theoretical models of chromatin dynamics. I’m always curious to learn about any topics in soft matter physics, statistical mechanics, or genomics. Don’t hesitate to reach out to discuss new problems and ideas!
email: ieshghi at nygenome dot org
selected publications
4 Aug 2023
Model chromatin flows: numerical analysis of linear and nonlinear hydrodynamics inside a sphere
We solve our previously published active polymer field theory in a confined geometry analytically and numerically, into the nonlinear regime
28 Jul 2023
Activity-driven phase transition causes coherent flows of chromatin
Using a field-theoretic description of active chromatin hydrodynamics, we find a phase transition that explains chromatin’s observed correlated motion
20 Sep 2022
Symmetry-Based Classification of Forces Driving Chromatin Dynamics
Using conservation of momentum to constrain theories of active polymer dynamics
4 Jun 2021
Interphase Chromatin Undergoes a Local Sol-Gel Transition Upon Cell Differentiation
Inferring phase changes in the nucleus from high-resolution microscopy