Meet Kayla Barton, Bioinformatics Graduate Assistant

By Colin Gallagher, Media Intern

Kayla Barton, a Ph.D. candidate studying Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Maine (UMaine), is beginning a new Bioinformatics Graduate Assistantship with the eDNA Service Center, which is one of the Coordinated Operating Research Entities (COREs) at UMaine. Also as part of this role, Barton will support the Advanced Research Computing, Security and Information Management (ARCISM) unit, another UMaine CORE, by providing technical support to researchers who are leveraging high performance computing (HPC) resources. 

Barton, advised by UMaine Associate Professor of Bioinformatics, Benjamin King, previously worked on the NSF EPSCoR Track-2 Genomic Ecology of Coastal Organisms (GECO) project. Through her experience and research in King’s lab, Barton developed a strong knowledge base and skill set in bioinformatics and small RNA sequencing. While GECO has concluded, Barton continues working in King’s lab characterizing and annotating miRNAs of tidal marsh sparrows in order to understand differences in genetic structure. 

Since its inception in 2020, UMaine’s eDNA Service Center has worked with a growing number of clients at the University of Maine and beyond. Up to 600 samples a month can be processed at the center. All of these samples need to then be interpreted and that is where a bioinformatician like Barton steps in. Bioinformaticians use computational analysis tools to help analyze and organize data in a way that researchers can easily use.

Barton initially took interest in the position not only due to her background in bioinformatics, but also as a means to follow her passion of helping others learn about bioinformatics. The field can be incredibly complicated, and Barton understands why researchers may be intimidated by the complexities of it. To demonstrate, Barton pulled up an example of her work on a laptop. The window she was working in was a wall of code. “For someone who is not familiar with scripts, this process can look really overwhelming,” remarked Barton. While some parts of the process may be complex, Barton emphasized that there are a range of tools and approaches that offer more accessible entry points for researchers looking to learn more about their data.

In addition to her bioinformatics work, Barton will also help support research computing activities at UMaine. Barton will do this by connecting and introducing researchers to the HPC resources that ARCSIM offers, including services made available through strategic partnerships with national supercomputing centers like the Ohio Supercomputer Center, as well as other in-state and out-of-state HPC providers. In this capacity, Barton is excited to work with individuals and small groups to help them learn more about HPC resources and effectively employ the solutions they need. 

The knowledge and experience Barton brings to the eDNA Service Center and ARCSIM will provide a significant benefit to the research community in Maine. Barton is already helping process eDNA samples and looks forward to working with UMaine’s researchers more closely.