Craig Tipton

Dr. Craig Tipton is the Director of Biostatistics in a joint role between RTL Genomics and MicroGen DX. He obtained his PhD in Biology from Texas Tech University in the lab of Dr. Caleb Phillips, where he studied the combinations of microbes encountered during wound infection and their ecology, with an emphasis on genetic and environmental factors that influenced the microbial composition of infected wounds. During this time, Dr. Tipton had the opportunity to shadow in a local wound care center led by Dr. Randy Wolcott and co-develop the projects that would form the basis of his dissertation work. His graduate work frequently involved the use of targeted sequencing to characterize bacteria and fungi within wounds, as well as multi-modal analysis designed to probe the connections between wound healing, genetics, and environmental stressors. Throughout this process, Dr. Tipton found a great interest in the relationship between complex communities of microorganisms and human health, and began to work for RTL Genomics, which is known for its services facilitating microbiome research. Here, he was able to sharpen his skills in the analysis of next generation sequencing (NGS) based datasets and provided consulting to a variety of research clients. Since his graduation in 2023, Dr. Tipton has gone to work full-time for MicroGen DX, a company whose mission it is to provide sequence-based microbial diagnostics for clinicians and to provide tools to combat infection in a wide-array of therapeutic areas including wound care, urology, orthopedics, and more. At RTL Genomics and MicroGen DX, Dr. Tipton works with a broad range of medical, academic, and industry partners to facilitate basic and clinical science discovery, as well as the development and testing of products and services. The expertise he offers is rooted in sequencing-based applications, microbial ecology, and computational biology, with a particular interest in understanding the role of the microbiome in host health and in translating technologies often reserved for research to clinical practice. To these ends, he appreciates opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and has published in a variety of clinical and basic science focused peer reviewed journals, such as PLoS Pathogens, Wound Repair & Regeneration, mSystems, European Urology Focus, the Journals of Orthopaedic Trauma and Bone & Joint Surgery, and Frontiers in Medicine, among others.