Evolutionary Informatics with Dr. Alex Dornburg

de-CIPHERing Infectious Disease

Episode 10

Join us for an engaging conversation with Dr. Alex Dornburg, Assistant Professor in Bioinformatics and Genomics, as he shares his journey from childhood passion for wildlife photography to groundbreaking research in evolutionary informatics. We explore the fascinating world of Antarctic fishes, the cutting-edge applications of generative AI in education, and the critical role of team science in solving complex problems. Whether you're curious about marine biology, AI, or the intersection of diverse scientific disciplines, this episode offers a unique perspective on discovery, resilience, and innovation.

Find out more at cipher.charlotte.edu.

Key Takeaways

• Passion Leads to Discovery: Alex Dornburg's love for photographing animals as a child sparked his lifelong interest in science, eventually leading to a career in evolutionary informatics.

• Evolutionary Informatics: Alex's work focuses on using bioinformatics and evolutionary biology to address contemporary problems, such as forecasting biodiversity changes and understanding emergent diseases.

• Antarctic Fish Research: Alex studies unique Antarctic fish that lack hemoglobin and have adapted to extreme environments, using genetic traits that, in humans, would cause severe conditions like brittle bone disease.

• Adapting During the Pandemic: The COVID-19 pandemic shifted Alex’s focus from fieldwork to computational research, highlighting the flexibility needed in science to adapt to unforeseen circumstances.

• AI in Education: Alex uses generative AI in his teaching to help students explore bioinformatics tasks, making science education more engaging, individualized, and relevant to their interests.

• Team Science: Alex emphasizes the value of interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating diverse perspectives and expertise to tackle complex problems in biology and beyond.

• Revolutionizing Public Health: By applying evolutionary biology, Alex's team modeled antibody waning and reinfection risks for COVID-19, providing actionable insights during the pandemic and shaping future responses.

• Environmental DNA (eDNA): His lab uses eDNA technology to map biodiversity in marine environments, offering a non-invasive way to track species presence and ecological changes.

• Science Is a Journey of Learning: Alex believes science is a continuous conversation that demands curiosity, persistence, and the willingness to embrace failure as part of the process.

• Personal and Professional Legacy: Alex aspires to mentor successful, fulfilled students, contribute meaningfully to science, and maintain a lifelong love for learning and exploration, including his personal goal of becoming a polyglot.

This podcast was produced and edited by Zack Jackson
CIPHER is a proud part of UNC Charlotte who holds all rights to the content created by this podcast