Justin Anast

Justin Anast has a diverse work experience. In 2021 they began working as the Research and Development Manager for NuTek Natural Ingredients. In 2020 they worked as a Bioinformatics Research and Development intern for Cargill. From 2017-2021 they were an adjunct faculty member in the Microbiology department at Des Moines Area Community College. From 2016-2021 they were a Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics Graduate Research Assistant at Iowa State University. During this time they engineered 4+ bioinformatic pipelines, developed 30+ in-house laboratory standard operating procedures, processed 200+ samples for use with next-generation sequencing technologies, analyzed 100+ large data sets, worked with 10+ biosafety level 2 organisms, and presented results at 2 scientific conferences. From 2012-2016 they were an Undergraduate Research Assistant at the University of Idaho.

Justin Anast received their Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from the University of Idaho in 2016. Justin then went on to pursue their Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology from Iowa State University, which they completed in 2021. Additionally, they obtained certifications as a FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food Qualified Individual (PCQI) and a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) qualified individual from Iowa State University in 2018, as well as a Radioactive Materials Certified certification.