Adrian Forsythe
I am a...
- microbiologist
- bioinformatician
- ecologist
I am also a...
- data scientist
- front and back end developer
- data engineer
What I am currently working on?
I am a Researcher at Uppsala University in the Department of Systematics, where my research focuses on identifying and annotating large repetitive elements in fungal pathogen genomes. I'm a member of the FungAGE Lab, where our research is focused on better understanding the incredible plasticity in fungal genomes. Right now, I am working on identifying genes that are involved with the movement and function of some extremely large transposable elements, the Starships.
Why should you consider hiring me?
I have a strong background in various bioinformatic analyses of whole-genome, transcriptomic, and metagenomic datasets.
I am skilled in extracting meaningful insights from complex biological datasets in the context of microbial ecology, evolution, and infectious disease control.
I have a passion for data-driven visualization and effective science communication
My academic work has result in a wealth of experience:
Bioinformatics
fungal genomics pipeline development (snakemake, Nextflow) comparative genomicsDatabases
sqlite mariadb SQLalchemyAnalysis
linear models mixed models clustering spatial analyses ML (random forest, CNNs)Visualization
dashboards (flask, django) ggplot2 plotly matplotlibSoft skills
planning and execution of collaborative research projects proficient in multiple scripting and workflow languages reproducible research highly self-motivatedProjects
White-Nose Syndrome
In my PhD I used genomics to study the microbial ecology and population structure of the fungal pathogen, Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Find more about my thesis here. An interview about my PhD research on McMaster's Science Podcast.
I helped to develop a probiotic treatment for White-Nose Syndrome in bats, which is currently undergoing field trials in British Columbia, Canada. I contributed to this project by screening bacterial strains for antifungal activity and optimizing the dosage and delivery system in preparation for field trials. I monitored probiotic levels in the field using quantitative assays. I also processed all genomic data generated from this project.
Press Coverage of this ProjectWhat contribution does human activity have on the spread of disease?
I have been working on a project to use novel data streams to investigate the connection between human activity and the spread of the WNS pathogen in North America. Read more about this project here.
