I am a Computational Biologist with extensive training in Evolutionary biology and Ecology with a soft spot for transmissible cancers, metagenomics and environmental DNA.
My experience includes designing experiments, generating, and analyzing genomic, transcriptomic, methylomic, proteomic, and metaganomic (amplicon and shotgun) data.
I code primarily in R and Bash, and work extensively with HPCs. I develope custom workflows and R packages, and also extensively use nextflow workflows etc.
In addition, I also have extensive experience developing and teaching courses in biology and workshops in computation.
Education and Work History
B.S. Evolution and Ecology, Minor in Art Studio, University of California, Davis 2003
M.S. Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 2007
Ph.D. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles 2016
Bioinformatics Analyst Vermont Biomedical Research Network, University of Vermont 2022-2025
Assistant Professor, Landmark College 2021-2022
Adjunct Professor, Peirce Los Angeles College 2019-2020
Lecturer, University of California, Los Angeles 2019
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California, Los Angeles 2016-2019
Staff Research Associate II, University of California, Los Angeles 2007-2009 Staff Research Associate I, University of California, Irvine 2003-2004
Software
Lubkowitz, J., Curd, E., Dragon, J., & Harcourt, E. (2024). PEGASUS: A Comprehensive Hybrid Genome Assembly Pipeline. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11397779
Gal,L., Z. Gold, R. Gallego, S. Nielsen, K. Silliman, E. Curd, 2023. rCRUX Github repository. https://github.com/CalCOFI/rCRUX
Curd, E. E., Z. Gold, G. Kandlikar, J. Gomer, M. Ogden, L. Pipes, 2017. The Anacapa Toolkit. Github repository, https://github.com/limey-bean/Anacapa
Curd, E. E. and M. Ogden, 2018 The Anacapa Container. Github repository. https://github.com/datproject/anacapa-container
Curd, E. E., Z. Gold, G. Kandlikar, J. Gomer, M. Ogden, 2017. CRUX: Creating Reference libraries Using eXisting tools. Github repository, https://github.com/limey-bean/CRUX_Creating-Reference-libraries-Using-eXisting-tools
Publications
Fabian-Fine, R., Brannare-Gran, S. M., Clough, M. N., DeBoer, T. A., DelVecchio, I. R., Devers, M. D., ... & Curd, E. E. (2026). Giant spider neurons uncover a myelin-derived waste-internalizing canal system that fails in neurodegeneration. bioRxiv, 2026-02.
Hakimzadeh, A., Abdala Asbun, A., Albanese, D., Bernard, M., Buchner, D., Callahan, B., Caporaso, J.G., Curd, E., Djemiel, C., Brandström Durling, M. and Elbrecht, V., 2024. A pile of pipelines: An overview of the bioinformatics software for metabarcoding data analyses. Molecular Ecology Resources, 24(5), p.e13847.
Tighe, S.W., Curd, E., Tracy, K.M., Finstad, K.H., Vellone, D.L., Hadley, S.R. and Dragon, J.A., 2024. Biomolecular Analysis of Arctic Microorganisms Capable of Psychrophilic Growth on Biodegradable and Compostable Plastic. Journal of Biomolecular Techniques: JBT, 35(4), pp.3fc1f5fe-601df0cc.
Curd, E.E., Gal, L., Gallego, R., Silliman, K., Nielsen, S. and Gold, Z., 2023. rCRUX: A rapid and versatile tool for generating metabarcoding reference libraries in R. Environmental DNA.
Mejia, M.P., Rojas, C.A., Curd, E., Renshaw, M.A., Edalati, K., Shih, B., Vincent, N., Lin, M., Nguyen, P.H., Wayne, R. and Jessup, K., 2023. Soil microbial community composition and tolerance to contaminants in an urban brownfield site. Microbial ecology, 85(3), pp.998-1012.
Gold, Z., Wall, A.R., Schweizer, T.M., Pentcheff, N.D., Curd, E.E., Barber, P.H., Meyer, R.S., Wayne, R., Stolzenbach, K., Prickett, K. and Luedy, J., 2022. A manager’s guide to using eDNA metabarcoding in marine ecosystems. PeerJ, 10, p.e14071.
Gold, Z., Curd, E.E., Goodwin, K.D., Choi, E.S., Frable, B.W., Thompson, A.R., Walker Jr, H.J., Burton, R.S., Kacev, D., Martz, L.D. and Barber, P.H., 2021. Improving metabarcoding taxonomic assignment: A case study of fishes in a large marine ecosystem. Molecular Ecology Resources, 21(7), pp.2546-2564.
Lin, M., Simons, A.L., Harrigan, R.J., Curd, E.E., Schneider, F.D., Ruiz‐Ramos, D.V., Gold, Z., Osborne, M.G., Shirazi, S., Schweizer, T.M. and Moore, T.N., 2021. Landscape analyses using eDNA metabarcoding and Earth observation predict community biodiversity in California. Ecological Applications, 31(6), p.e02379.
Parker, S.S., Zdon, A., Christian, W.T., Cohen, B.S., Mejia, M.P., Fraga, N.S., Curd, E.E., Edalati, K. and Renshaw, M.A., 2020. Conservation of Mojave Desert springs and associated biota: status, threats, and policy opportunities. Biodiversity and Conservation, pp.1-17.
Palacios Mejia, M., Curd, E., Edalati, K., Renshaw, M.A., Dunn, R., Potter, D., Fraga, N., Moore, J., Saiz, J., Wayne, R. and Parker, S.S., 2021. The utility of environmental DNA from sediment and water samples for recovery of observed plant and animal species from four Mojave Desert springs. Environmental DNA, 3(1), pp.214-230.
Meyer, R.S., Ramos, M.M., Lin, M., Schweizer, T.M., Gold, Z., Ramos, D.R., Shirazi, S., Kandlikar, G., Kwan, W.Y., Curd, E.E. and Freise, A., 2021. The CALeDNA program: Citizen scientists and researchers inventory California’s biodiversity. California Agriculture, 75(1).
Gold, Z., Wall, A.R., Curd, E.E., Kelly, R.P., Pentcheff, N.D., Ripma, L., Barber, P.H. and Wetzer, R., 2020. eDNA metabarcoding bioassessment of endangered fairy shrimp (Branchinecta spp.). Conservation Genetics Resources, 12(4), pp.685-690.
Bangayan, N.J., Shi, B., Trinh, J., Barnard, E., Kasimatis, G., Curd, E. and Li, H., 2020. MG-MLST: Characterizing the Microbiome at the Strain Level in Metagenomic Data. Microorganisms, 8(5), p.684.
Curd, E.E., Gold, Z., Kandlikar, G., Gomer, J., Ogden, M., O'Connell, T., Pipes, L., Schweizer, T., Rabichow, L., Lin, M. and Shi, B., et al., 2019. Anacapa Toolkit: an environmental DNA toolkit for processing multilocus metabarcode datasets. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 10(9), pp.1469-1475.
Nichols, R.V., Curd, E., Heintzman, P.D. and Shapiro, B., 2019. Targeted Amplification and Sequencing of Ancient Environmental and Sedimentary DNA. In Ancient DNA (pp. 149-161). Humana Press, New York, NY.
Kandlikar, G.S., Gold, Z.J., Cowen, M.C., Meyer, R.S., Freise, A.C., Kraft, N.J., Moberg-Parker, J., Sprague, J., Kushner, D.J. and Curd, E.E., 2018. ranacapa: An R package and Shiny web app to explore environmental DNA data with exploratory statistics and interactive visualizations. F1000Research, 7.
Curd, E.E., Martiny, J.B., Li, H. and Smith, T.B., 2018. Bacterial diversity is positively correlated with soil heterogeneity. Ecosphere, 9(1).
Shi, B., Bangayan, N.J., Curd, E., Taylor, P.A., Gallo, R.L., Leung, D.Y. and Li, H., 2016. The skin microbiome is different in pediatric versus adult atopic dermatitis. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 138(4), pp.1233-1236.
Curd, E.E., 2016. Microbial community diversity, function, and succession in California’s Mediterranean habitats (Doctoral dissertation, UCLA).
Brown, C., Curd, E. and Friscia, A., 2017. An actualistic experiment to determine skeletonization and disarticulation in the La Brea tar seeps. Palaios, 32(3), pp.119-124.
Liu, J., Cheng, A., Bangayan, N.J., Barnard, E., Curd, E., Craft, N. and Li, H., 2014. Draft genome sequences of Propionibacterium acnes type strain ATCC6919 and antibiotic-resistant strain HL411PA1. Genome announcements, 2(4), pp.e00740-14.
Curd, E., Pollinger, J., Toffelmier, E. and Smith, T., 2011. Rapid influenza A detection and quantitation in birds using a one-step real-time reverse transcriptase PCR and High Resolution Melting. Journal of virological methods, 176(1-2), pp.125-130.
Fuller, T.L., Saatchi, S.S., Curd, E.E., Toffelmier, E., Thomassen, H.A., Buermann, W., DeSante, D.F., Nott, M.P., Saracco, J.F., Ralph, C.J. and Alexander, J.D., 2010. Mapping the risk of avian influenza in wild birds in the US. BMC infectious diseases, 10(1), p.187.
Curd, E.E., 2007. Wild Mammals Harbor Bacteria with a Diversity of Novel and Known Antibiotic Resistance Genes: A Resistance Gene Reservoir in the Wild? (Master’s Thesis, University of Massachusetts Amherst).
Kost, G.J., Tang, Z., Tran, N.K., Curd, E.E., Louie, R.F., Albertson, T.E., Derlet, R.W. and Azari, R., 2003. Economic Implications of Optimal Diagnosis and Treatment of Sepsis–Work in Progress: Marginal Penalties, Antibiotic Alterations, and Outcome Hypotheses. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation, 63(sup239), pp.16-26.