Grand Challenges in Statistical Genetics/Genomics Methodology

Recent developments in genomic technologies have provided researchers with an unprecedented ability to probe the genetic basis of complex biological processes as well as phenotypic expression. However, as impressive as these technologies are, the analysis and interpretation of the data they generate is exceptionally challenging due to the amount and sophistication of these data. In fact, it has been said of next-generation genomic technologies that they often result in situations in which researchers are “drowning in data, but thirsting for knowledge.” Frontiers in Statistical Genetics and Methodology (FSGM) will provide a forum for theoretically minded statistical geneticists to publish methodology in an effort to help quench this thirst. In this context, as the senior editors of FSGM we feel that there are a number of important areas in modern statistical genomics that have immediate needs for methodological developments. We outline some of these below, but by no means want to convey the sense that FSGM will only publish papers dealing with these areas, as the field of statistical genomics is simply too broad and filled with too many challenges and needs to restrict attention of FSGM to a few thematic areas.