PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Robert F. Murphy

Also known as Robert Murphy

Robert Murphy is a computational biologist whose work applies machine learning to microscope images and the choice of biological experiments. He earned a biochemistry PhD at Caltech in 1980 and joined Carnegie Mellon in 1983, where he developed an undergraduate computational biology program. In 2012, he described CellOrganizer, which learned models of cell structure from images; in 2016, his team used active learning to guide laboratory robots. He helped launch Carnegie Mellon’s automated science master’s program in 2018 and was elected an ISCB Fellow in 2025. Since 2021, he is the Ray and Stephanie Lane Professor of Computational Biology Emeritus at Carnegie Mellon; his 2026 SPRM paper described software for analyzing the arrangement of cells in tissues.

Badges

Timeline

  1. 1974–1983

    Biochemistry training and Carnegie Mellon

    He earns a BA in biochemistry at Columbia University in 1974 and a PhD in biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology in 1980 under James Bonner. From 1979 to 1983, he is a postdoctoral research associate with Charles Cantor in Columbia’s Departments of Chemistry and Human Genetics. In 1983, he joins Carnegie Mellon’s Department of Biological Sciences as an assistant professor.

  2. 1987

    An undergraduate computational biology program

    At Carnegie Mellon, he develops an undergraduate program in computational biology in 1987.

  3. 1990s

    Machine learning for cell images

    In the mid-1990s, his group begins using machine learning to analyze microscope images of subcellular structures. The group develops systems that automatically recognize organelle patterns in two-dimensional and three-dimensional images.

  4. 2007–2015

    Founding the Lane Center

    He founds Carnegie Mellon’s Ray and Stephanie Lane Center for Computational Biology in 2007. In 2009, the center becomes an academic unit within the School of Computer Science; it later takes the name Computational Biology Department in 2015.

  5. 2012

    CellOrganizer models cell structure

    In 2012, he describes CellOrganizer, an open source project that learns generative models of cell organization and protein distribution from two-dimensional and three-dimensional fluorescence microscope images. The models can produce synthetic cell images for testing image analysis software.

  6. 2016

    Active learning directs laboratory robots

    In 2016, he coauthors “Active machine learning-driven experimentation to determine compound effects on protein patterns” and leads the Carnegie Mellon team. An active learner controls liquid handling robots and automated microscopy, learning the effects of 48 compounds on the locations of 48 proteins while performing 29% of the possible experiments.

  7. October 2018

    A degree in automated science

    In October 2018, he and Christopher Langmead co-direct Carnegie Mellon’s new Master of Science in Automated Science: Biological Experimentation. The program trains specialists to develop and use systems that combine AI with automated laboratory instruments, with its first class planned for 2019.

  8. 2025

    An ISCB fellowship

    The International Society for Computational Biology elects him a Fellow in 2025 for contributions to computational biology and bioinformatics.

  9. January 2026

    SPRM analyzes tissue images

    In January 2026, he coauthors “SPRM: spatial process and relationship modeling for multiplexed images,” software that measures image quality, groups cells by their features and describes how cells are arranged in tissue. Since 2021, he holds the Ray and Stephanie Lane Professor of Computational Biology Emeritus title in Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science.

Career

  1. Since 2021Carnegie Mellon UniversityRay and Stephanie Lane Professor of Computational Biology Emeritus
  2. 1979–1983Columbia UniversityPostdoctoral Research Associate

Education

  1. 1980California Institute of TechnologyPhD in biochemistry
  2. 1974Columbia UniversityBA in biochemistry

From the biography.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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  1. CURRICULUM VITAE andrew.cmu.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  2. Murphy Named 2020 IEEE Fellow - Mellon College of Science - Carnegie Mellon University cmu.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  3. Computational Biology Department Celebrates 10th Anniversary - Carnegie Mellon University cmu.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  4. Ma, Murphy Named ISCB Fellows - Carnegie Mellon University cmu.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  5. CellOrganizer: Image-derived Models of Subcellular Organization and Protein Distribution - PMC pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Checked 27 October 2026.
  6. Active machine learning-driven experimentation to determine compound effects on protein patterns - PMC pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Checked 27 October 2026.
  7. Robert F. Murphy, Ph.D. COF-0698 - AIMBE aimbe.org. Checked 27 October 2026.
  8. New CMU Degree Prepares Researchers for AI-Directed Experimentation - Carnegie Mellon University cmu.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  9. SPRM: spatial process and relationship modeling for multiplexed images - PMC pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Checked 27 October 2026.