Key words:GWAS, scientific method, genetics research, genetics, DNA

James Ashenhurst, PhD, is a Product Scientist II on the R&D team, where he helps turn 23andMe data into new reports and features for the 23andMe Personal Genome Service. After finishing a BA in Psychology from Princeton University, he completed a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UCLA in 2014. While at UCLA and during a subsequent postdoctoral fellowship through the Waggoner Center at UT Austin, he studied the genetics and psychopharmacology of risk-taking behavior and alcohol use disorders. Dr. Ashenhurst believes that in the decades to come, broad education about genetics will be important in order to empower people to better understand themselves and to improve public health for everyone.