During his two years in the Beroukhim Lab, Peleg used whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing, array CGH, and Broad/TCGA algorithms to identify mutations and copy-number alterations responsible for driving development of skull base and neurologic tumors. He identified mutations in SMO and AKT1 in meningiomas and also collaborated with others on projects involving pediatric low-grade gliomas (identifying MYBL1 translocations), pituitary adenomas, schwannomas, and other tumor types. Peleg then completed his neurosurgical residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, followed by a one-year fellowship in skull base neurosurgical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Currently he is an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Chicago, with a focus on neurosurgical oncology and skull base tumors.

Favorite quote: “Pious harpooners never make good voyagers—it takes the shark out of ’em; no harpooner is worth a straw who ain’t pretty sharkish.” –Captain Peleg, Herman Melville’s Moby Dick