Biography

Ben Callahan is a bioinformatician who examines the impact of microbiomes and complex microbial communities on their human and animal hosts.

Originally trained as a physicist at Iowa State University, Callahan used his experience in mathematical theory to migrate into quantitative biology and pursue his interests in evolution. During his PhD at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he studied physics, he began to apply mathematical theory to population genetics. He continued this work at Stanford University as a postdoc by investigating adaptation in large populations through modeling, experimental evolution and comparative genomics.

At NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, where he is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, Callahan focuses on two research areas. First, he solves problems such as bias in data collection (which could be caused by variation in detection efficiency) and errors in long-read sequencing. To do this, he develops new computational methods that account for or correct these differences.

Second, he applies high-resolution statistical bioinformatics to uncover the relationship between microbial communities and human or animal health. At present, Callahan is collaborating with researchers from Stanford University to find the link between microbial communities in different body regions with the risk of pre-term birth. Using software packages such as DADA2, which he created, he converts next-generation sequencing data into usable, census-like descriptions of a microbial community. Then, by statistical analysis, he connects biological features of the microbes with health problems or diseases to identify risk profiles or possible causation. 

As a member of the Global Health program, Callahan’s expertise in computational methodologies, bioinformatics, software development and host-microbiome relationships is invaluable for global health research, particularly in disciplines such as infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance and gastrointestinal health.