Ricardo Linares Saldana

Ricardo Linares Saldana

MD PhD

Emory University School of Medicine

I am a physician-scientist passionate about harnessing genomics to unravel the mechanisms driving human biology and disease. My career has evolved from hands-on bench work to the forefront of big data and computational analysis, with a continuous focus on chromatin organization. Ultimately, I strive to translate scientific discoveries into advances that deepen our understanding - and improve the diagnosis - of complex diseases.

During my graduate studies, I was honored to receive the NIH F31 fellowship under the mentorship of Drs. Rajan Jain and Jon Epstein. Together, we investigated how chromatin architecture controls gene regulation during cell differentiation, leading to several publications, including two first-author papers in journals like Nature Genetics and Circulation.

Now, as a pathology resident at Emory University, I’m excited to apply my expertise in genetics, genomics, and computational biology to advance personalized medicine and improve patient care.

Outside of work, family is my priority. You’ll often find me chasing after my daughter at the neighborhood playground, exploring trails on family camping trips, or discovering new dining spots around Atlanta.



Download my curriculum vitae.

Access my genomics analysis Shiny server.

Explore Hi-C data in my HiGlass server.


Interests
  • Genetics & Epigenetics
  • Chromatin organization
  • Computational genomics
  • Data analysis & visualization
  • Disease biology
Education
  • Pathology Residency

    Emory University School of Medicine · 2026–present

  • MD

    Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania · 2023

  • PhD, Genetics and Epigenetics

    University of Pennsylvania · 2021

  • BS, Molecular and Cellular Biology

    The Johns Hopkins University · 2012

Computational Skills

Bash

Shell Scripting | CLI | Sys Adm

R

Statistical Analysis | Visualization | R Shiny

Python
High Performance Computing
Awk

Text Processing | Data Formatting | Regex

Next-Gen Sequencing

Data Generation & Analysis | Bioconda

Research Experience

 
 
 
 
 
University of Pennsylvania
Postdoctoral Researcher
March 2023 – June 2026 Philadelphia, PA
Principal Investigator: Rajan Jain, MD
 
 
 
 
 
University of Pennsylvania
Doctoral Student in Genetics & Epigenetics
November 2016 – June 2021 Philadelphia, PA
Principal Investigator: Rajan Jain, MD. Co-Mentor: Jonathan A. Epstein, MD
 
 
 
 
 
National Institutes of Health
Postbaccalaureate Research Fellow
August 2012 – May 2014 Bethesda, MD
Principal Investigator: William Gahl, MD, PhD Co-Mentor: Camilo Toro, MD
 
 
 
 
 
The Johns Hopkins University
Undergraduate Researcher
January 2012 – May 2012 Baltimore, MD
Principal Investigator: Haig Kazazian, MD
 
 
 
 
 
University of Pennsylvania
Undergraduate Researcher
June 2011 – August 2011 Philadelphia, PA
Principal Investigator: Michael Marks, PhD

Recent Publications

(2026). Cytoskeletal-nuclear control of alveolar fibroblast identity directs lung regeneration. bioRxiv.

DOI

(2026). Genome folding and nuclear speckles converge to orchestrate fibroblast activation. Science Advances.

DOI

(2026). Transcription and cohesin direct domain boundary spatial positioning and are linked to Friedreich's ataxia. Molecular Cell.

PDF DOI

(2025). Mechanistic and Epigenetic Partitioning of Lamina-Associated Chromatin Revealed by a Genome-Wide Imaging Screen. bioRxiv.

DOI

(2024). A genome-wide CRISPR screen identifies BRD4 as a regulator of cardiomyocyte differentiation. Nature Cardiovascular Research.

DOI

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