Paul Keim, Ph.D., is the executive director of The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, which uses genomic tools for understanding infectious diseases and the microbiome. This is a joint institute between TGen and Northern Arizona University, where Dr. Keim holds the Cowden Endowed Chair in Microbiology and is a Regents Professor. He is a Distinguished Professor and co Director of TGen North.  His laboratory served as the evidence repository and genetic analysis lab for the FBI during the 2001 anthrax-letter investigation. He has been a leader in the field of microbial forensics which uses evolutionary analysis to understand close relationships among pathogen isolates. This work was foundational for his pursuit in public health investigations and the development of novel clinical diagnostic tests.  He is an elected fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy for Microbiology. The National Institutes of Health appointed him to the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity in 2004 and served as its chairman for two years. He has published over 450 scientific research articles that have been cited over 30,000 times. He has been featured by major media outlets, including front page stories in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.