Summary
Andrew Steen is an associate professor and geomicrobiologist who bridges bioinformatics, data science, and Earth science to reveal how uncultivated microorganisms shape global geochemical cycles. With 11 years of academic experience and a Ph.D. in Marine Chemistry, he develops novel computational methods and leverages large public datasets to map microbial community structure and distribution in marine environments. His work blends geochemical measurements with cutting-edge bioinformatics, producing insights into microbes that can't be grown in pure culture. Based in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California after a long tenure at the University of Tennessee, he mentors cross-disciplinary teams and drives projects spanning seawater and sediment ecology. Notably, he pairs traditional geochemistry with scalable data-driven approaches, making subtle but crucial connections between microbial diversity and Earth system processes.
11 years of coding experience
16 years of employment as a software developer
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
Bachelor's of Science with Honors, Chemistry, Bachelor's of Science with Honors, Chemistry at Brown University
Ph.D., Marine Chemistry, Ph.D., Marine Chemistry at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill