Adviser: Yuk Sham

First, I would like to thank Prof. Yuk Sham, my research advisor, for his guidance and support over the years. He has been an inspiration for me and I look forward to continue my journey in the field of computational biology at USC. I also would like to thank all the past and current members in the Prof. Sham’s lab who have been helpful in giving me valuable feedbacks in my research. I also wish to express my gratitude to my committee members, Dr. Elizabeth Amin and Dr. Carlos Sosa. I want to give special thanks to Melody Lee for editorial critiques of my thesis and her encouragement. Lastly, but not least, I want to thank my parents, Yong Chul Yoon and Eun Ja Park, and my fiancé, Michelle Sham, who have always supported me by all means throughout my academic career. My research could not have been completed without their support and patience