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Isaac Okyere, 2025 National Microbiome Data Collaborative ambassador.
Biochemistry Ph.D. Student Isaac Okyere Selected as a National Microbiome Data Collaborative Ambassador
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - March 31, 2025 – Isaac Okyere, a Ph.D. student at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) has been selected to join the 2025 cohort of National Microbiome Data Collaborative (NMDC) ambassadors.
Okyere is a student in the lab of Dr. Jennifer Goff in the Department of Chemistry, where he is researching how microplastics can carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria in aquatic ecosystems. His work looks at how urbanization and rainstorms affect these bacteria on microplastics, helping to understand the potential public health risks of plastic pollution in the environment.
“Isaac's selection as an ambassador highlights his exceptional skills as a bioinformatician, data scientist, and teacher,” said Goff. “His research will help protect aquatic ecosystems and could also help drive public policy in regards to waste water management.”
As an NMDC ambassador, Okyere will contribute to developing NMDC training materials, plan and implement bioinformatics and data standards workshops for his research community, and spread the NMDC mission through various online platforms.
The NMDC Ambassador Program uses a cohort-based learning approach to train and support early-career researchers who are motivated to engage with their respective microbiome research communities. The program aims to spread awareness and knowledge regarding data stewardship, metadata standards, and standardized bioinformatics workflows. NMDC is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Biological and Environmental Research-funded national microbiome data-sharing network to enable interdisciplinary and collaborative environmental microbiome science research. This open and integrative approach to data science will allow researchers to solve the pressing environmental challenges facing our planet.
About SUNY ESF
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.