Lab Personnel

Dr. Brett Pickett is an Assistant Professor in the Microbiology and Molecular Biology Department. Before joining the faculty, he completed his B.S degree in Microbiology from BYU in 2005, his Ph.D. training in Microbiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and his postdoctoral training in Pathology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. He then obtained additional experience in industry, and at the J. Craig Venter Institute. He applies his past training to perform genome sequencing and comparative genomics analyses of human pathogens and cancers. He works to develop data mining workflows, apply machine learning techniques, and use advanced statistical workflows on the Fulton high-performance computing environment at BYU to better understand how human cells respond during infection acute infection or chronic disease (e.g. flu, Streptococcus, cancer, etc). The results from these analyses will then be used to generate hypotheses that can be tested in the wet lab. Dr. Pickett enjoys waterskiing, playing the piano, archery, and spending time with his wonderful wife Laura and their six children.

Undergraduate
Research interest: My research interest is in comparative genomics. Specifically, I am working on a genomic meta-analysis of Cardiovirus (a member of the Picornaviridae family) to study its diversity and variants. Understanding the sequence variations of Cardiovirus could contribute to vaccine development and efficacy, which in turn improves human health.
Hobbies: I love to write, travel, run, make Music, and spend time with family.

Undergraduate
Research interest: Discovering genetic patterns in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (a neurodegenerative disease).
Hobbies: I enjoy camping, running, hiking, card games (especially Nertz), and Star Wars.

Undergraduate
Research interest: Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Hobbies: Surfing, skiing, volleyball, and watching the Padres play.