Bio
I am the Genomics Coordinator at Breeding Insight, based at the University of Florida. I develop bioinformatics tools for plant and animal breeding applications, with a focus on making genomic analysis accessible to breeders working with both diploid and polyploid species.
My work spans variant calling, population genetics, genomic selection, and data visualization — with tools built in R, Python, and Rust.
Education
Ph.D. in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | Virginia Tech | 2023
B.S. in Biology | Millersville University of Pennsylvania | 2019
Experience
Genomics Coordinator | Breeding Insight, University of Florida | Present
- Develop open-source tools for genomic analysis (BIGapp, BIGr)
- Support breeding programs across multiple crop and animal species
- Train researchers in genomic data analysis
Skills & Expertise
Programming
- R / Bioconductor / Shiny
- Python / Snakemake
- Rust
- Bash / HPC
Genomics
- Variant calling & QC
- Population genetics
- Genomic selection
- GBS/DArT data
- Polyploid analysis
Other
- Shiny app development
- Workshop instruction
- Scientific writing
Publications
See my Google Scholar profile for a complete list.
Selected publications:
Sandercock A.M., Peel M.D., Tanigut C.H., et al. (2025). BIGapp: A User-Friendly Genomic Tool Kit Identified Quantitative Trait Loci for Creeping Rootedness in Alfalfa. The Plant Genome. DOI: 10.1002/tpg2.70067
Sandercock A.M., Westbrook J.W., Zhang Q., Holliday J.A. (2024). A genome-guided strategy for climate resilience in American chestnut restoration populations. PNAS 121(30) e2403505121. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2403505121
Contact
The best way to reach me is by email: aherranssanderco@ufl.edu or on LinkedIn.
For tool-specific questions or bug reports, please open an issue on the relevant GitHub repository.
I’m happy to discuss collaborations related to breeding program genomics, polyploid analysis, or tool development.