Dr. Steven Hallam is the co-founder and COO of Koonkie as well as a professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology and a program faculty member at the University of British Columbia. He has expertise in neuroscience, molecular and cellular biology, environmental genomics, and bioinformatics. Steven is the recipient of multiple awards, including being named a Canada Research Chair in Environmental Genomics (2006–2016) and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). A leading expert in microbial ecology, he has authored over 150 papers with 23,000+ citations. He is an alumnus of the SFU Invention to Innovation (i2I) program and has successfully transferred technology to the private sector, contributing to two spin-off companies and multiple patents. With Koonkie, Steven applies his expertise to help clients unlock the power of microbiome data to sustainably address some of the leading challenges facing industries such as agriculture, mining, and environmental preservation & reclamation.

Dr. Erin Marshall is a strategic growth leader with a passion for translating scientific discoveries into real-world impact. With expertise in cancer metabolomics and genomics, and significant experience in scientific marketing, she has led cross-functional initiatives at biotech and technology companies, focussed on bridging technical insights with commercial strategy. Erin specializes in scientific communication and product management, ensuring that scientific solutions are both accessible and actionable. Known for her ability to foster collaboration across disciplines, Erin is committed to advancing breakthrough solutions with integrity and precision. She holds a PhD in Interdisciplinary Oncology from the University of British Columbia, where she studied the role of microbes in cancer development, and a BSc in Biochemistry from Queen’s University.

Dr. Thea Van Rossum has developed significant expertise in the study of environmental microbiology, with applications focusing on monitoring and developing biomarkers, as well as investigating the role of microbes in the natural remediation of mine sites. She deepened her expertise by training with other researchers at the forefront of the environmental microbiome field at the European Bioinformatics Institute (Peer Bork, EMBL). There, she studied and developed tools to understand microbiomes at the highest resolutions with strain- and SNV-level metagenomics and led the microbiome analysis for a clinical trial testing probiotics for preterm infants. Thea has always been interested in how research can be applied to solve problems. At Koonkie, she works with clients to help them solve their problems using microbial DNA and metabolic pathways. She places a high value on ensuring that the results we deliver are easily understood and actionable, and works directly with clients to determine problem areas where microbial data will have the greatest impact. Thea holds a PhD from Simon Fraser University, and completed her post-doc at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). She also holds a BSc from UBC in computer science and biology.

Ryan is a professional bioinformatician with over 15 years of industry experience. His overarching interest is finding ways to apply cutting-edge genomics technologies in the exploration and characterization of microbial communities. He has special interest in how culture-free methods can be used in concert to better resolve ecosystems at both the population- and community-level. His goal is to leverage data-driven solutions, ranging from proven machine-learning techniques to emerging artificial intelligence models, to unravel the mysteries of biological life on earth and beyond. At Koonkie, Ryan specializes in algorithm development, analysis pipeline architecture and cloud resource engineering - all culminating in the full-stack deployment of robust bioinformatics solutions. He provides additional support to improve interpretive strategies to meet client needs, and is experienced in managing data-heavy projects while driving towards actionable outcomes. Ryan has a BS in Biophysics from The University of Scranton, an MSc in Biology (focus in bioinformatics) from Western Washington University, and is currently finishing a PhD in Bioinformatics at The University of British Columbia.

Dr. Connor Morgan-Lang has expertise in designing the architecture and curation framework for reference databases to support gene-centric analysis - a powerful approach for studying marker genes or genes that are relatively unknown. His graduate research leveraged phylogenetics to improve the link between microbial taxonomy and function during genome annotation. This work created the Tree-based sensitive and accurate phylogenetic profiler (TreeSAPP) software. At Koonkie, Connor handles development of our cloud-ready software used to process and understand various forms of DNA sequence information, including those for processing 16S rRNA gene and environmental DNA (eDNA) marker gene data. He has developed novel algorithms and bioinformatic pipelines for clients in industry and academia, but still enjoys flexing his biology background when analyzing client microbiome data. Connor completed his PhD in Bioinformatics at UBC, and holds a BSc in Biology from the University of British Columbia (UBC).

Dr. Ron Caspi has broad knowledge of biochemistry, metabolism, and molecular biology, with specific expertise in bioinformatics and automation. He joined the Stanford Research Institute (SRI International) in 2004, where he continues to be the head curator of MetaCyc - the most comprehensive metabolic knowledge database available in the world today. Ron has over 50 publications and more than 10,000+ citations. He has been a full member of the Enzyme Commission (EC) since 2011, and has been serving as the secretary of the IUPAC-IUBMB Joint Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature (JCBN) since 2014. At Koonkie, Ron brings deep expertise in biochemical data integration and computational biology, helping clients leverage metabolic insights to achieve their desired outcomes. He received his PhD in Marine Microbiology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, CA, and completed his post-graduate education at the Center for Molecular Genetics at UC San Diego.

Dylan is an experienced marketing and communications leader in cutting-edge scientific industries. He has expertise in navigating heavily regulated markets, focusing on key growth targets and partnerships to bring nascent products to new markets. Having previously run a clinical-stage drug development start-up, Dylan has experience in communicating the need and importance for new avenues of research with a focus on actionable outcomes. He has a background in nanomaterials chemistry, and has developed a nanoparticle-based tailings remediation method at a leading Canadian nanotechnology institute. At Koonkie, Dylan is working to build a sustainable base of high-value long-term clients who are interested in harnessing microbial solutions to optimize their operational outputs. As an emerging, highly technical industry, Dylan is also focused on education and building evidence supporting the usage of microbial data in key applications. Dylan has a BSc in Chemistry (minor in nanotechnology) from the University of Calgary. He has experience with two leading nanomaterials labs, developing a novel magnetic filtration method and characterizing liposomal drug-delivery systems.

Skyler Friedline is a bioinformatician that has trained in biochemistry, synthetic biology, and microbial ecology. He previously worked at UC Berkeley in a partnership with NASA where he helped engineer bacteria to support long-term human space travel (CUBES), including projects such as the production of pharmaceuticals in cyanobacteria and the production of bioplastic from CO2. Skyler brings a diverse array of analytical skills to the Koonkie team, which provides additional avenues for data interpretation and analysis. He is experienced in researching and developing deeper understanding of cryptic metabolisms from metagenomics and metaproteomics as well as the analysis of carbon sequestration potential in soils. He is interested in leveraging emerging microbial technologies and understandings to address environmental challenges that face our planet. He earned his MSc in Genome Science and Technology from UBC working with Profs. Ryan Ziels and Steven Hallam where he developed a novel technique for targeted metaproteomics of active organisms in complex microbial communities.