Mitchell Vollger, PhD

Dr. Mitchell Volger is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Utah. His laboratory focuses on developing computational tools and approaches to uncover novel biological insights within some of the most challenging and rapidly evolving regions of the human genome—known as segmental duplications (SDs). By utilizing advanced long-read sequencing technologies, his research examines how gene regulatory elements within these complex genomic areas influence human evolution and disease. Dr. Volger’s work integrates genome assembly, chromatin biology, and bioinformatics to characterize the regulatory networks of duplicated genes and to understand their contributions to human-specific traits, especially in the context of neurogenesis. Through collaborations with major genomics consortia, including the Telomere-to-Telomere Consortium and the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium, his lab is creating the first comprehensive atlas of gene regulation in the fastest-evolving euchromatic regions of the human genome.