Research
Fox's graduate work involved genomic analysis of ABO genetic variation in American genomes from two NIH datasets, the NHLBI Exome Sequencing Project and MHGRID. He identified a new instance of structural variation in thiry-two African American genomes which is predicted to be non-functional. Fox later worked with population geneticist Fernando Villanea, who described selective advantage among human blood group heterozygotes, on ABO variation in Neanderthals and Denisovans.
In 2024, Fox participated in the analysis of data from an 2021 epidemiological survey which gathered clinical and self-reported data on lifestyle habits from gout sufferers in French Polynesia. Fox has also studied the introduction and genetic history of leprosy in Oceania using ancient DNA.
Indigenous activism
In 2020, Fox critiqued the NIH's All of Us program for exploiting Indigenous genetic data without proper safeguards in a perspective paper. Four months later, two of the program's leaders responded in the same journal, welcoming contributions from Fox and others engaged in activism and describing how they had been working with tribal leadership from American Indian and Alaska Native communities for over a year.
In 2019, Fox and paleoanthropologist John Hawks critiqued the lack of rules and regulations in the field of aDNA research on indigenous remains, describing it as colonial and extractive and calling for accountability and transparency in the use of such remains. In the United States, indigenous remains and any scientific research performed on them (including remains retroactively identified as Native American by aDNA sequencing) has been governed under the purview of NAGPRA since its passage in 1990.
Fox is an advocate of indigenous futurism, and has spoken publicly on integrating sustainable practices into large scale computation, particularly in AI development and data centers, drawing on analogies and trends in indigenous practices such as decentralization and circular economies.
In a 2024 TED Talk, Fox discussed researchers who are exploring the concept of using plant DNA as a storage medium.
