Matthieu Foll

After studying applied mathematics and computer science, I completed a Ph.D. in population genetics and bioinformatics. During this time I gained a strong expertise in statistical genetics and bioinformatics methods, and I wrote several software now widely used in the field. After my PhD., I moved to the University of Berne (Switzerland) (co-affiliated with the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics) as a postdoctoral researcher where I started to work more specifically on large human genomic data. I developed in particular several Bayesian models to identify genetic variants associated with phenotypes (e.g. Pygmies, Andeans and Tibetans) observed in different human populations or ethnic groups, being the consequence of local adaptation. In 2012, I was recruited as a Staff Research Scientist in the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne (co-affiliated with the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics) where I worked on new statistical and bioinformatics methods for the analysis Next Generation Sequencing data. In September 2014 I been recruited as a staff scientist in the section of Genetics to develop computation cancer genomics projects and to coordinate the bioinformatics efforts in the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO). I am particularly involved in the molecular characterisation of rare thoracic tumors like lung neuroendocrine tumors and malignant mesothelioma, and since 2021 I am co-leading the IARC Rare Cancers Genomics team together with Dr. Lynnette Fernandez-Cuesta.