About Me

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerbarnum/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tylerbarnumphd

I’ve worked with complex data and difficult experimental conditions. At Trace Genomics, I developed innovative metagenomics methods to study soil biology: a diverse microbial habitat where most microorganisms have not been sequenced. In my PhD, I studied not a single model organism in a specific growth condition but multiple non-model organisms in multiple growth conditions, often requiring special equipment to maintain oxygen-less atmospheres. Working with this mix of computational and laboratory methods was both stimulating and rewarding for my research.

I am open-minded and a strong learner. I believe that people can and should improve. I participated in workshops on active listening, leadership, and mentorship to help me better contribute to teams, and I have taken courses in evidence-based teaching, science communication, and data visualization to learn how to communicate complex information to non-scientists. I am a regular reader of non-fiction in many topics and a devotee of Thinking, Fast and Slow, which explains biases in human thought.

I am focused and systematic. In extracurricular work, I paid forward an NSF graduate research fellowship by mentoring undergraduate students from non-traditional backgrounds and chairing a campus-wide student committee to address hunger and homelessness. In research, I have expanded my study system from a specific metabolism in single cultures to multiple metabolisms across entire communities. At Trace Genomics, I was a purposeful, to-the-point collaborator who helped identify problems and solve them.