Christopher Dunham

Background

About Christopher Dunham

I am a computation and data specialist for BioPACIFIC MIP, a National Science Foundation-funded Materials Innovation Platform at the University of California, Santa Barbara. My current focus is on developing user tools to facilitate data collection across instruments, facilities, and campuses (UCSB and the University of California, Los Angeles). I am focused on standardizing laboratory information workflows and integrating various systems. Expanding upon my background in analytical chemistry, materials science, and biological systems, I taught myself to become a full stack software engineer and data architect, with a little bit of DevOps thrown in for good measure, and researched and implemented best practices as part of this journey. It has been an amazing ride and I have greatly enjoyed the freedom to learn and develop a wide assortment of skills that I either didn't have or were nascent prior to working at BioPACIFIC MIP. Since 2022, I have developed a full digital ecosystem for BioPACIFIC MIP, including a user portal and SSO service, electronic laboratory notebook, laboratory information management system, and other tools to enable complex data storage, exploration, and management with intuitive user interfaces. In my data architecture and software engineering work, I make use of a variety of FOSS libraries and utilities, including Django, Svelte + SvelteKit, TipTap, Nginx, and PM2, among others. I also leverage version control software like Git/GitHub to maintain code integrity. Prior to working at BioPACIFIC MIP, I received my PhD in Chemistry from UCLA in 2022. My primary research project focused on identifying parameters affecting the maturation of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (heart cells) using electrophysiological methods. I also greatly enjoyed teaching, and developed and/or taught classes in the fields of environmental chemistry, biochemistry, and mass spectrometry/analytical chemistry, among others.