Stowers Institute expands Artificial Intelligence Initiative, appoints second AI Fellow

Charles McAnany, Ph.D., uses machine learning to uncover hidden patterns in DNA and better understand how genes are regulated. As an AI Fellow, he will help expand the use of AI across the Institute's 24 research programs.

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Stowers Institute for Medical Research has appointed Charles McAnany, Ph.D., as its second AI Fellow, continuing the Institute's investment in artificial intelligence as a powerful tool for advancing biological discovery.

McAnany's research centers on understanding the language of DNA — the regulatory instructions that help determine when, where, and how genes are used. Since joining the Stowers Institute in 2019, he has worked in the lab of Investigator Julia Zeitlinger, Ph.D., who leads the Institute's AI Initiative, which launched in 2024. His work applies machine learning to genomic data to uncover the rules that shape gene regulation.

A central challenge in using AI to study the genome is that even highly accurate models can be difficult to interpret. McAnany has developed approaches to visualize what these models learn, helping reveal patterns in DNA that influence gene activity and making AI more useful for biologists.