EP 63: Mycotic Bioinformatics with Zachary Konkel
From the bioinformatics lab by The Bioinformatics Lab
October 21, 2025 · 1h 9m
About this episode
Zachary Konkel discusses his journey in mycology and bioinformatics, focusing on the significance of fungi in medicine and the challenges in fungal genomics.
In this episode of the Bioinformatics Lab Podcast, Zachary Konkel shares his journey from studying chemistry to specializing in mycology and bioinformatics. He discusses the significance of fungi in medicine, particularly in producing antimicrobial compounds, and the challenges faced in fungal genomics. Zach highlights the development of mycotools (https://github.com/xonq/mycotools) as a solution for analyzing fungal genomes and the importance of phylogenetics in understanding fungal pathogens like Candida auris. The conversation also touches on the growing concern of antifungal resistance and the potential for next-generation sequencing to improve outbreak detection. Finally, Zach shares his passion for mushroom foraging, connecting his scientific interests with personal hobbies.
People in this episode
Guest: Zachary Konkel
Topics covered
- mycology
- bioinformatics
- fungal genomics
- antifungal resistance
- phylogenetics
- next-generation sequencing
- mushroom foraging
Keywords
- mycology
- bioinformatics
- fungi
- antimicrobial compounds
- fungal genomics
- phylogenetics
- antifungal resistance
- next-generation sequencing
- mushroom foraging
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: mycotools
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