Happy Global Citizen Science Month! Now is the perfect moment to highlight the contributions of Charlie Lieu, co-founder of Darwin’s Ark. With her passion for building large-scale public genomic data systems, Charlie has enabled countless pet owners to engage in meaningful research, making a difference for pets and humans alike.
Charlie is now stepping back from her day-to-day duties at Darwin’s Ark, although she will remain an essential member of our board of directors. As she prepares to embark on her next adventure, we want to take a moment to celebrate her journey and the tremendous impact she has made on science and the pet lovers who benefit from these exciting discoveries.
A trailblazer in pet genetics
Charlie began her career working as a scientific programmer on the Human Genome Project, a massive international research effort that sequenced the first complete human genome.
She subsequently worked on numerous large-scale genomic data projects. Seeing the data challenges faced by scientists exploring complex diseases and behaviors inspired her to work with Dr. Elinor Karlsson in 2016, and led to the co-founding of Darwin’s Ark in 2018. Together, they created a community where pet owners can share valuable data about their dogs and cats, amplifying scientific understanding of pet health and behavior.
Over the last decade, Charlie has done it all at Darwin’s Ark—everything from serving as volunteer executive director for six years to answering community scientists' questions to driving the development of the research platform and our novel fur sequencing protocol. Darwin’s Ark would not be what it is today without Charlie’s passion for and dedication to community science.
“Community science is fundamentally about getting the community involved in the scientific process, and data collection is the cornerstone of every discovery. Since no one knows an animal better than their owners, who better to provide data than the people who care for the animal,” Charlie said.
Charlie and the Darwin’s Ark team have built an expansive platform that connects more than 67,000 dogs and cats—and their people—to researchers. This collaborative effort has resulted in more than 5,000 pets sequenced and millions of data points collected via surveys. Darwin’s Ark taps into the everyday experiences of pet owners to unlock insights into everything from genetic diversity to behavioral traits to disease risk. Who would have thought that the stories we share about our furry friends could lead to groundbreaking scientific discoveries?
Meet Petra: The purr-fect research partner
No tribute to Charlie would be complete without a nod to her remarkable sidekick, Petra! This extraordinary Russian Blue beauty was found in the dead of winter on the streets of Reno, Nevada, frostbitten and pregnant. Still a kitten herself, Petra clearly used to be a house cat but most likely had been tossed out when she got pregnant.
Charlie met Petra during a visit with friends, who are fellow Darwin's Ark participants and were fostering Petra at the time. However, because Petra’s foster family already had five cats, they had to send her back to the shelter. When Petra wasn’t adopted quickly, they put out a heartfelt plea on social media, including a picture of Petra looking scared and sad in her kennel. That post broke Charlie's heart, so she worked with her friends to adopt Petra from a distance. Before long, Charlie was in Reno to pick her up. She didn’t know it yet, but adopting Petra would be one of the best decisions of her life.
Petra is the perfect cat for Charlie—she's well-behaved, sweet and loving, yet incredibly independent, which suits Charlie's busy lifestyle. While Charlie is working, Petra often tucks herself in bed to sleep. If Charlie is up too late working, Petra will come find her, nudging her gently to go to bed. At almost eight years old, she has become quite the “old lady,” going to sleep by 9 P.M. and waking up by 5 A.M.—but she never tries to wake Charlie. Instead, she curls up quietly in the crook of Charlie’s arm until Charlie wakes up.
Petra also is known for her nurturing nature. Whenever Charlie watches kitten rescue videos, Petra thinks there are real kittens behind the screen and runs around looking for them, trying to calm them down. To give Petra something extra to do, Charlie has brought home many litters of foster kittens (and the occasional litter of puppies) for Petra to care for, and she has taken on the role effortlessly.
Outside of fostering kittens, Petra has also stayed busy helping Charlie with her work developing and validating Darwin’s Cats’ novel fur-based DNA sequencing protocol. As part of Darwin’s Ark’s work exploring the full scope of applications for our fur-based sequencing method, Petra’s DNA has been sequenced six times and is on its way to being sequenced a seventh time. Thanks to Petra and other early Darwin’s Cats participants, Darwin’s Ark community scientists can sequence their cat’s DNA with a more cat-friendly approach compared to traditional saliva swabs and blood draws.
Charlie's next adventure
After years of leading the organization with unwavering dedication, Charlie is spending the remainder of the year exploring how best to make impact on other issues close to her heart, including economic inequality and access to healthcare.
While she may be taking a step back, her passion for community science is far from over! She will continue to inspire us as we work together to push the boundaries of pet genetics and behavior research, and we can’t wait to see what innovative ideas she will bring to the table next.
Let’s celebrate community science together!
As we observe this special month dedicated to community science, let’s celebrate Charlie, Petra, and every member of the Darwin’s Ark community who is making a difference. Share your pet's story and their participation in Darwin’s Ark on Facebook or Instagram and tag us, inviting others to join. Participate in surveys and help us build a wealth of data to deepen our understanding of our beloved companions.
“As with all citizen science organizations, our goal is to make science accessible. We endeavor to build a platform that empowers pet owners to engage in data collection and discovery. Your observations, experiences and insights are the foundation that have and will continue to enable breakthroughs in our understanding of diseases and behavior. For that, I am ever grateful for our community and your continued support,” Charlie said.
Here’s to innovation, community, and the unbreakable bond between pets and their humans! Let’s continue to celebrate the joys of community science—one wag and purr at a time!
