The focus of my research is the identification and characterization of genes determining human variation and disease. In particular, I have focused on developing analytical methods and statistical tools that will facilitate the mapping of complex traits and allow geneticists to realize the benefits of new high-throughput technologies. Much of my research has focused on the use of linkage disequilibrium in the mapping of complex disease susceptibility genes, but . in addition to disease states . I also study intermediate outcomes, such as the regulation of expression for specific transcripts. Linkage disequilibrium based mapping strategies use short segments of ancestral chromosomes shared among present day individuals to explain phenotypic variation. High-throughput technologies now allow fine-scale characterization of genetic variation and have made these searches possible.