Christopher M. Taylor

Christopher M. Taylor is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Parasitology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO), School of Medicine. He also serves as the Director of the Bioinformatics, Biostatistics, and Computational Biology Core within the Louisiana Biomedical Research Network. His academic journey began with a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Virginia in 2008, followed by a faculty position at the University of New Orleans before joining LSUHSC in 2012.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Virginia, 2008
• M.S. in Computer Science, University of Virginia, 2002
• B.S. with Honors in Computer Science and Mathematics, University of Mary Washington, 2000

Dr. Taylor's research lies at the intersection of computational biology and bioinformatics, with a strong focus on high-throughput sequencing technologies. His lab specializes in microbial community analysis, particularly in the human microbiome, including the vaginal, gut, oral, and lung microbiomes. He develops algorithms and software tools for sequencing data analysis and visualization, with applications in understanding host-microbe interactions in diseases such as bacterial vaginosis, Chlamydia, HIV, and other sexually transmitted infections. His work has significant implications for diagnostics and targeted treatment strategies.

The trends in Dr. Taylor's research, as reflected in his publications and projects, emphasize dual RNA sequencing, metagenomic profiling, and computational modeling of microbiome dynamics. His work integrates large-scale genomic data with clinical outcomes, particularly in reproductive and infectious diseases, and leverages high-performance computing infrastructure for scalable analysis.

Scientific Awards:

• Winner of $5,000 in Illumina sequencing reagents, Illumina's MiSeq My Focus contest (January 2015)

Dr. Taylor has been a principal or co-investigator on multiple federally funded grants, including NIH/NIAID R01 and R21 awards, an NSF grant for the Tigerfish high-performance computing cluster, and collaborative projects on STI screening and birth outcomes. He has advised numerous graduate students, including PhD and MD/PhD candidates, many of whom have gone on to prominent roles in academia and industry. His administrative roles include leadership in the Faculty Assembly, Research Advisory Committee, and international travel committee at the School of Medicine.

Dr. Taylor leads an active informatics laboratory focused on microbial community sequencing and analysis. His team has developed key software tools such as PARSES, RNA CoMPASS, and ValenciaInR, supporting both internal research and broader scientific communities. The lab continues to advance computational methods for microbiome research and translational applications in public health.