About Us
Serving Clemson’s diverse scientific community
The Clemson University Genomics and Bioinformatics Facility (CUGBF) helps investigators use the latest genomics technologies in their research. The heart of our facility is Illumina’s NextSeq 2000 NGS platform, which offers high throughput sequencing used in many applications such as whole-genome, transcriptome, and targeted resequencing. CUGBF offers services to support the use of the NextSeq 2000 from experimental design through bioinformatic deliverables. We also have a 10x Genomics Chromium X and Illumina Single Cell equipment for single cell sequencing. In addition to offering a full-service genomics lab and bioinformatics team, we pride ourselves in offering training to students to work alongside our staff members to learn genomic and bioinformatic techniques. Outside of the lab, we offer training and informational workshops to Clemson’s diverse scientific community.
Meet Our People
Christopher Parkinson, Ph.D.
Director
Dr. Chris Parkinson has been with the Clemson University Genomics and Bioinformatics Facility since its start in the summer of 2018. In addition to his role as the director of the facility, he is also a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation. His research interests lie in the study of evolutionary processes using venomous snakes, particularly pitvipers.
Dr. Parkinson’s Google Scholar page
Roberta Canton, Ph.D.
Molecular Biologist
Dr. Canton has extensive hands-on experience in preparing genomic libraries for Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and has been working with both DNA and RNA from a wide variety of tissue sources. Her work has involved processing diverse and often challenging samples, including fresh vertebrate tissues, historical museum samples, invertebrates, and fungal cell cultures. She earned her BS in Biology from Universidade Federal do Amazonas, master’s from Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia and PhD from Louisiana State University (LSU).
Maximiliano Ortiz, Ph.D.
Senior Bioinformatician
Dr. Max Ortiz joined the Clemson University Genomics and Bioinformatics Facility in December 2022. He earned his BS (Hons) in Genetics in 2010 from the National University of Misiones and his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Buenos Aires in 2017.
Dr. Ortiz’s Google Scholar page
Mr. John Henry Fowler
Graduate Student Liaison
Mr. Fowler began serving as the Clemson Genomics and Bioinformatics Molecular Lab Research Assistant during the summer of 2025. He then transferred to the Graduate Student Liaison role in the summer of 2026. He has been conducting research to earn a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at Clemson University since 2024. Mr. Fowler’s Ph.D. research focuses primarily on understanding the evolution of venom components and defensive behaviors in rattlesnakes. He has extensive laboratory and computational experience working with high-molecular-weight DNA, Hi-C sequencing data, and RNA-based datasets. He earned a B.A. in Biology from Hendrix College in 2023.
“The facility’s expertise has not only enhanced my research but has impacted the collaborative work we have on-going with a team composed of researchers across the US that is struggling to find solutions for infections caused by pathogenic free-living amoeba.”
— Dr. James Morris, Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center