Three Institute of Bioinformatics Affiliated Faculty Win 2026 Research Awards

akingmosley on March 30, 2026

Man in a dark suit jacket and light blue shirt, affiliated faculty at the Institute of Bioinformatics, stands against a plain white background, smiling at the camera.

Man in a dark suit jacket and light blue shirt, affiliated faculty at the Institute of Bioinformatics, stands against a plain white background, smiling at the camera.

Awardees

Robert Schmitz – Distinguished Research Professor

Robert Schmitz, professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Genetics, is a leader in plant epigenomics, developing genome-wide approaches to understand how chemical modifications to DNA shape gene regulation. His research maps and interprets epigenomic variation within and between plant species and examines how these regulatory features influence development, adaptation and evolution in plants. Schmitz is widely recognized for discovering how epigenomic differences arise, are inherited and interact with genetic variation to affect complex traits. By innovating epigenomic technologies and computational methods, his work has transformed how scientists study gene regulation beyond DNA sequence alone. His discoveries have important implications for agriculture and evolutionary biology, informing strategies to improve crop performance, resilience and stability through epigenome-informed breeding and biotechnology. Supported by major federal funding and published in leading journals, Schmitz’s research has helped establish epigenomics as a central framework for understanding plant genome function.

A man with glasses, a beard, and thinning hair smiles at the camera while wearing a brown suit jacket and light blue shirt against a plain gray background, representing affiliated faculty at the Institute of Bioinformatics.

John Drake – Creative Research Award

Lamar Dodd Creative Research Award: John Drake, Regents’ Professor in the Odum School of Ecology, is recognized for a body of creative scholarship that has reshaped theoretical population biology and its applications to ecology, epidemiology and public health. Drake integrates mathematical theory, statistical innovation and high-performance computing to explain how populations fluctuate, spread, persist or collapse. His foundational work on ecological unpredictability, extinction thresholds and early warning signals established new frameworks for anticipating critical transitions, influencing research in conservation biology and climate science. Drake has extended these insights to infectious disease dynamics, developing data-driven and mechanistic models that improve forecasting of epidemics, including COVID-19, influenza and zoonotic spillover. By uniting machine learning with ecological theory, his research has produced predictive tools adopted by scientists and public health agencies. With more than 200 publications in leading journals and sustained support from federal agencies such as the NSF, NIH and CDC, Drake’s work exemplifies creative research that advances theory while addressing urgent global challenges.

A woman with straight blonde hair, wearing a blue top with a pink floral pattern, smiles in front of a plain gray background—celebrating her 2026 faculty research awards at the Institute of Bioinformatics.

Holly Bik – Research Communications Award

Holly Bik, associate professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Marine Sciences, is a nationally recognized scientist-communicator whose work sets a high standard for research communication and public engagement. A marine biologist and bioinformatician, Bik studies the diversity and evolution of nematodes — microscopic worms that play essential roles in ocean ecosystems — and has developed innovative ways to make this complex research accessible to broad audiences. Her most distinctive communications effort accompanied a 2023 research expedition to East Antarctica, where her team collected nematodes from seafloor sediments to study adaptation in extreme environments. Confronted with limited internet connectivity, Bik pioneered the use of WhatsApp as a low-bandwidth outreach platform, sharing daily mini-blog posts that provided real-time insights into Antarctic science and life at sea. The project reached thousands of participants in more than 40 countries, engaged classrooms worldwide and drew coverage in Nature. Through creativity, rigor and reach, Bik transforms specialized research into shared discovery.

For more information on the 2026 Research Awards, see https://news.uga.edu/2026-research-awards/.