Jakub Widawski

Bioinformatics Specialist

Specializing in single-cell RNA-seq, spatial transcriptomics, and multi-omics integration. I develop custom bioinformatics pipelines and interactive applications that accelerate drug discovery and enable data-driven therapeutic insights.

About Me

I'm a bioinformatics specialist with expertise in analyzing complex omics data, building analytical pipelines, and developing user-friendly applications for biological research. My work bridges the gap between computational biology and practical software engineering.

With experience spanning pharmaceutical industry and academic research, I specialize in single-cell RNA-seq analysis, spatial transcriptomics, and creating tools that enable researchers to explore their data more effectively. I've collaborated succesfully with many clients spanning from small biotechnology companies to the biggest pharmaceutical companies, contributed to publications and presented my work publicly at international conferences and webinars.

Recent Updates

May 2025
Publication

Cross-Disease Integration of Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Data

Published study integrating scRNA-seq data from 14 public datasets to validate a 3D in vitro model. Identified SPP1+ tumor-associated macrophage signatures across cancer types and inflammatory diseases, establishing clinical relevance for immunotherapy testing.

Read Publication
October 2024
Webinar

Advanced Bioinformatic Analysis of Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Data

Co-hosted webinar with Immudex focusing on bioinformatic analysis of scRNA-seq data using dCODE® reagents. Covered T and B cell receptor analysis, comprehensive bioinformatics workflows, and experimental design strategies for precise immune profiling.

View Details
October 2024
Publication

Harnessing AI in Precision Medicine for Colorectal Cancer

Published research using WES and RNA-seq data from 71 colorectal cancer patients to identify personalized therapeutic targets. Implemented AI-driven neoantigen prediction and identified synthetic lethality gene pairs for precision medicine applications.

Read Publication
December 2023
Webinar

Leveraging Single-Cell Transcriptomics for Therapeutic Discovery

Presented comprehensive overview of single-cell RNA-seq analysis capabilities at Ardigen. Covered data preprocessing, quality control, and downstream analyses for drug discovery, including dataset integration and target validation approaches with a respiratory disease case study.

View Details
July 2023
Conference

scDisco: Single Cell Data Analysis Made Easy

Presented poster and talk at ISMB/ECCB 2023 introducing scDisco, a user-friendly app for single-cell RNA-seq analysis. The tool enables non-experts to explore and compare data through intuitive visualizations including dot plots, comparative analyses, and cell proportion quantification.

View Details
April 2023
Certification

Professional Scrum Product Owner™ I (PSPO I) & Professional Scrum Master™ I (PSM I)

Earned globally recognized certifications demonstrating fundamental level of Professional Scrum Product Ownership and Scrum mastery. PSPO I certification proves intermediate understanding of the Scrum framework and how to apply it to maximize value delivery, including optimizing return on investment and total cost of ownership. PSM I certification demonstrates consistent use of Scrum terminology and approach as described in the Scrum Guide.

View Scrum.org Profile
2023
Poster

Transcriptional Profiling of PBMCs and LPMCs in Ulcerative Colitis

Conducted comprehensive transcriptional profiling of peripheral blood and lamina propria mononuclear cells in ulcerative colitis patients. Analyzed differential gene expression patterns and immune cell composition to identify disease-associated signatures and potential therapeutic targets.

View Details

Skills

Bioinformatics

  • Single-cell RNA-seq
  • Spatial transcriptomics
  • Bulk RNA-seq & WES analysis
  • Cross-disease data integration
  • AI/ML for drug discovery
  • Multi-modal data analysis
  • Statistical analysis & modeling
  • Data integration & atlas creation

Programming

  • Python
  • R
  • Machine Learning (PyTorch, TensorFlow)
  • Web Development (Flask, Django)
  • BASH scripting & automation
  • Cloud computing (AWS, Databricks)

Visualization

  • Matplotlib, Seaborn, ggplot2
  • Plotly & interactive dashboards
  • Custom visualization tools
  • Scientific figure design
  • Interactive dashboards (Streamlit/Shiny)

DevOps & Tools

  • Docker & containerization
  • Kubernetes orchestration
  • Git version control
  • HPC & parallel computing
  • CI/CD pipelines

Management & Soft Skills

  • Certified Product Owner (PSPO I)
  • Certified Scrum Master (PSM I)
  • Team organization (up to 8 people)
  • Public speaking (conferences, webinars)
  • Fluent in English and Polish
  • Advanced in Spanish

Professional Experience

Senior Bioinformatician

Bioinformatician

Ardigen - AI in Drug Discovery

Kraków, Poland

  • Developed reusable analysis pipelines for omics data processing
  • Created interactive applications for non-technical users using Streamlit
  • Performed custom RNA-seq analyses for pharmaceutical clients
  • Built integrative data atlases consolidating public datasets
  • Provided bioinformatics expertise supporting drug discovery projects

Bioinformatics Specialist Technician

Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute

Barcelona, Spain

  • Processed and performed quality control on single-cell and bulk RNA-seq data
  • Analyzed allele-specific and imprinted gene expression patterns
  • Conducted in-depth statistical analyses of genomic data
  • Automated scientific report generation workflows

Data Analyst Intern

Xceed

Barcelona, Spain

  • Built machine learning models for event classification
  • Analyzed fraud detection and prevention systems
  • Performed data processing, analysis, and visualization

Education

MSc Bioinformatics

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona - High Performance Computing and Big Data Analytics

BSc Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery

University of Dundee, Scotland

Scientific Publications

Cross-disease integration of single-cell RNA sequencing data from lung myeloid cells reveals TAM signature in in vitro model

Oncoimmunology October 2024

This study integrated single-cell RNA-seq data from 14 public datasets spanning multiple cancer types and inflammatory lung diseases to validate a 3D human cell-based model for drug testing. We identified that macrophages in the in vitro system share key transcriptional signatures with SPP1+ tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) found across diverse disease contexts, establishing the model as a clinically relevant platform for testing immunotherapy targeting this pro-angiogenic and pro-fibrotic macrophage population.

Key Contributions:

  • Integrated single-cell RNA-seq data across 14 datasets from multiple disease contexts
  • Performed end-to-end data processing and cross-disease analysis
  • Validated in vitro model relevance through comparison with patient-derived data
Read Full Publication

Harnessing the power of AI in precision medicine: NGS-based therapeutic insights for colorectal cancer cohort

Frontiers in Oncology October 2024

Using whole exome sequencing and bulk RNA-seq data from 71 Polish colorectal cancer patients, we implemented three complementary AI-driven approaches to identify personalized therapeutic targets. Our ARDentify neoantigen prediction pipeline identified approximately 8,700 unique neoepitopes with limited patient overlap, while a novel AI approach aligning patient profiles with cancer cell lines successfully identified synthetic lethality gene pairs (APC-CTNNB1, BRAF-DUSP4, APC-TCF7L2) and VPS4A-VPS4B as potential therapeutic targets.

Key Contributions:

  • Processed and analyzed WES and bulk RNA-seq data from 71 colorectal cancer patients
  • Contributed to development of Nextflow pipeline to ensure reproducibility and re-usability of presented approach
Read Full Publication

Let's Work Together

I'm available for consulting, contract work, and collaboration on bioinformatics projects. Whether you need custom analysis pipelines, data visualization tools, or bioinformatics expertise, I'd love to hear from you.