Ph.D. supervisor: Dr. Stephan Schmitz-Esser
Home Department: Animal Science
Dissertation title: Identification and Functional Characterization of Genes Involved in the Listeria monocytogenes Stress Response
Current title: Research Data Specialist, Iowa State University Library and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
From Microbiology to Data-Focused Career
After completing his Ph.D. in Iowa State University’s Interdepartmental Microbiology program, Dr. Bienvenido “Ben” Tibbs-Cortes built a career that bridges microbiology, bioinformatics, and research data support. He now works as a Research Data Specialist with the Iowa State University Library and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, where he supports researchers across campus with data analysis, management, visualization, and training.
Building a Broad Foundation and Career Path
During his Ph.D. in Dr. Stephan Schmitz-Esser’s lab, Ben studied Listeria monocytogenes through molecular genetics, transcriptomics, and bioinformatics. Although his research began on the molecular side, he gradually expanded into computational and microbiome-related work through collaborations and new opportunities. That broader training became increasingly important as his work moved beyond his core dissertation project and gave him experience that connected bench science with data analysis.
After graduate school, Ben joined the USDA, where he worked on microbiome-related research in the context of infectious bacterial diseases, animal health, and vaccination studies. His combined background in molecular biology and bioinformatics made him well suited for projects that required both experimental understanding and computational skills, and his role quickly expanded into additional collaborative work across different lab groups.
After his time at USDA, Ben returned to Iowa State, where he found a position that matched both his technical strengths and his interest in working across many different areas. As Ben described it, “I like knowing a lot of things. I like learning a lot of different techniques. Some people consider that [as] kind of a weakness, but I see it as kind of a strength.”
Supporting Research Across Campus
In his current role, Ben works through a joint effort between the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the University Library. He supports research groups across campus with data management, analysis, basic statistics, visualization, coding support, and grant-related planning, helping fill needs that often extend beyond any single project or department. As research teams face growing expectations around data sharing and management, his role helps meet needs that many faculty and students are still learning how to navigate.
That work often begins with one type of support and expands as collaborations develop. A project may start with a data management plan or a small analytical task, then grow into broader work involving data cleaning, processing, or integration across research teams. Ben described this flexibility as one of the strengths of the position, noting that his work often evolves through word of mouth as researchers discover additional ways he can contribute.
One of the most rewarding parts of his current role has been his involvement in the Science-Based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips (STRIPS) project, a large interdisciplinary effort focused on integrating strips of native prairie into agricultural landscapes. The project brings together research on water quality, ecology, soil, pollinators, and sustainable agriculture from many groups across campus. Ben helps manage and consolidate data from roughly 30 research groups into a larger, more reusable system.
He emphasized that this kind of work involves much more than simply collecting files. It requires communication across labs, careful attention to metadata, and a great deal of coordination to make older and newer datasets useful within a larger framework. That challenge becomes even greater when data come from many projects, people, and years of work. Part of his role now includes helping prepare datasets for broader reuse and, in some cases, for AI- and machine learning-based analysis. As Ben noted, “You can do machine learning on anything, but whether or not it’s good depends on the quality of how well the data is annotated.”
Alongside his research support work, Ben also contributes to the library’s workshop and training efforts. He has helped teach workshops in Unix and Git, designed an advanced Unix workshop focused on data cleaning and manipulation, and created an R workshop to help fill a local gap in training. Through these efforts, he helps make foundational computational skills more accessible to students, staff, and faculty across campus.
Interdisciplinary Training and Unexpected Opportunities
A central theme in Ben’s career is the value of interdisciplinary training. His experience in both wet-lab and computational research has helped him work across different projects and communicate with a wide range of collaborators. Ben believes students should build that kind of breadth intentionally. “You kind of need to know both nowadays,” he said, encouraging computational students to gain some wet-lab experience and wet-lab students to develop bioinformatics skills.
Looking back, Ben said some of the most valuable parts of graduate school were the opportunities he had not originally planned for. In addition to his main dissertation work, he took part in side projects, microbiome studies, and other experiences that expanded his skills and helped shape his later career. Rather than staying narrowly focused, he benefited from remaining open to new directions and learning opportunities.
Community, Advice, and Keeping Career Paths Open
Ben also emphasized the importance of the Interdepartmental Microbiology community, especially MGSO and the broader student network. He described it as a valuable source of both support and idea-sharing, where students could learn from people in different fields and get new perspectives on research challenges.
For current and prospective students, Ben’s advice is practical: take opportunities to learn new skills, even if they do not seem immediately relevant, and try teaching at least once. He also stressed the importance of choosing a lab that fits both your interests and your personality. He noted that lab culture and mentoring style can matter just as much as the research topic itself.
Ben’s career is a reminder that there is no single path after graduate school. His experience shows how broad training, openness to unexpected opportunities, and a willingness to keep learning can lead to meaningful work well beyond the traditional bench-science track.