Elana P. Simon

I’m excited about trying to understand what ML models are learning from biological sequences and structures - digging into their embeddings to find interpretable biological concepts, figuring out how they pick up these patterns during training, and seeing what biology we can uncover by reverse-engineering the models!

I’m doing a PhD at Stanford University, advised by James Zou. I also write ML-bio deep-dives on my blog (matmols), though these are pretty high-effort and thus low-frequency.

Previously I worked at Reverie Labs as an ML engineer helping design small molecule cancer drugs. As an undergrad, I studied Computer Science at Harvard and worked with Debora Marks on protein language models. I’ve also been quite involved with research, fundraising, and patient advocacy focused on Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma.