Faculty Spotlight: Jonathan Eisen

Dr. Jonathan Eisen, a UC Davis professor with appointments in the Department of Evolution and Ecology, the Department of Medical Microbiology, and the Genome Center, says he is drawn to technology because, “I believe in sharing. Recording lectures and posting videos is great because it extends the reach of my teaching to anyone who is interested.”

Eisen has been podcasting his lectures for some time; his students use the podcasts along with copies of the lecture slides to study. Recently, he began uploading the slideshows with audio to YouTube. “Now,” Eisen explains, “the lectures are out there for others who want to learn the topics.”

For an example, visit Eisen’s playlist. His YouTube Channel, Phylogenomics, also includes recordings of his talks, such as TEDMED 2012.

Beyond the classroom, Eisen is an active and award-winning science blogger (see the Tree of Life blog). He also encourages his undergraduate researchers to blog on the Eisen Lab Blog.

To learn more about Eisen’s current projects and the software he uses, visit his WordPress site or follow him on Twitter @phylogenomics.