Rate My Professor Mik Black

Black's research centers on the development and application of statistical and computational tools to analyze large-scale datasets from genomics experiments, with applications to biomolecular research in human diseases such as cancer, alongside agricultural and horticultural studies. He leads the Black Research Group and plays a pivotal role in national initiatives, including Genomics Aotearoa as Co-Director and contributions to high-performance computing resources through the National eScience Infrastructure (NeSI). His interdisciplinary collaborations integrate genomic findings with clinical relevance, and he has developed specialized bioinformatics pipelines for early-stage cancer detection and other projects. Notable publications include co-authorship on 'Role of transposable elements in heterochromatin and epigenetic control' (Nature, 2004), 'Clinical risk prediction for pre-eclampsia in nulliparous women: development of model in international prospective cohort' (BMJ, 2011), 'Early pregnancy prediction of preeclampsia in nulliparous women, combining clinical risk and biomarkers' (Hypertension, 2014), 'The power and promise of RNA-seq in ecology and evolution' (Molecular Ecology, 2016), and 'Tumor mutational burden is a determinant of immune-mediated survival in breast cancer' (Oncoimmunology, 2018). In teaching, he instructs undergraduate and postgraduate courses in statistics, computer-based genomic data analysis, and bioinformatics, incorporating Te Ao Māori concepts; he previously taught the BIOC354 bioinformatics course. Black received a University of Otago Research Award in 2008 and delivered his Inaugural Professorial Lecture.