J. Christopher Ellis

J. Christopher Ellis is the Senior Director of Computational Biology and AI at BiomEdit, a position he has held since 2022.3 With a background in computational biology and microbiology, Ellis has developed a broad range of skills in large-scale AI-driven research and data science.2

Education and Early Career

Ellis earned both his BS and PhD in microbiology from North Carolina State University, with a minor in biotechnology.1 He also received a National Institute of Health Biotechnology Fellowship.1

Professional Experience

Before joining BiomEdit, Ellis worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for about two years.1 At ORNL, he was a computational microbiologist in the Biosciences Division, where he applied his expertise to explore the human and soil microbiomes for potential links to diseases.1

Prior to his time at ORNL, Ellis spent five years at Eli Lilly and Company, where he led the microbiology group in the firm's Bioproduct Research and Development organization.1 He also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University, studying the microbiome of extremely premature infants.1

Research Focus

Ellis has been involved in several significant research projects:

1. Neurodegenerative Diseases: He co-founded the MIND Consortium to investigate the potential role of microbes in the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS.1

2. Bioenergy Research: As part of the Plant-Microbe Interfaces Science Focus Area at ORNL, Ellis applied his knowledge to study the microbiome of the rhizosphere around poplar trees, which are important for advanced biofuels development.1

3. Soil Microbiome: Ellis has been involved in what is expected to be the deepest soil microbiome work to date, analyzing samples from switchgrass rhizosphere and soil.1

Throughout his career, Ellis has established numerous new methodologies in microbiome research and is exploring the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence in this field.4