Paul Keim

Keim grew up in central Kansas and initially attended McPherson College but earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry from Northern Arizona University and his Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Kansas. His postdoctoral training was the University of Utah and Iowa State University in genetics and microbiology. He did sabbatical stints at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Universidad de Costa Rica, and as a Senior Research Associate at the University of Oxford.

Keim has been a faculty member at Northern Arizona University for over 35 years, where he holds the titles of E. Raymond and Ruth Reed Cowden Chair of Microbiology and Regents Professor of Biology.{{cite web |title=Paul Keim |url=https://experts.azregents.edu/en/persons/paul-keim |website=Arizona Board of Regents |language=en}} He has also founded the Pathogen Genomics Division (2003) at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and holds the rank of Distinguish Professor.{{cite web |title=NAU and TGen teams lead in New Research on MRSA {{!}} AZBio |url=https://www.azbio.org/nau-and-tgen-teams-lead-in-new-research-on-mrsa |website=AZBio |date=25 February 2012}}

In 2002, Keim established the Microbial Genetics and Genomics Center at NAU, which transformed into the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute (2001).{{cite web |title=2012 Bioscience Researcher of the Year: Paul Keim, Ph.D. {{!}} AZBio |url=https://www.azbio.org/2012-bioscience-researcher-of-the-year-paul-keim-ph-d |website=AZBio |date=1 October 2012}} His work in microbial forensic has allowed for analysis of dangerous pathogens, particularly those related to bioterrorism, such as Bacillus anthracis (anthrax), Yersinia pestis (plague), Francisella tularensis (tularemia).{{cite web |title=Dr. Paul Keim, Northern Arizona University – DNA and Anthrax Outbreaks |url=https://www.wamc.org/academic-minute/2012-10-05/dr-paul-keim-northern-arizona-university-dna-and-anthrax-outbreaks |website=WAMC |language=en |date=5 October 2012}}{{cite web |last1=Foster |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Pearson |first2=Talima |title=Genomic microbiology as applied to animal forensics |url=https://www.the-microbiologist.com/features/genomic-microbiology-as-applied-to-animal-forensics/563.article |website=The Microbiologist |language=en}}

Keim is most noted for his involvement in the FBI investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks, where his lab at NAU identified the anthrax strain used in the attacks.{{cite web |title=Paul Keim: "We Were Surprised It Was the Ames Strain" |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/paul-keim-we-were-surprised-it-was-the-ames-strain/ |website=PBS}} His team developed assays that were more accurate in identifying strains than others available at the time, assisting both in the criminal investigation and the subsequent clean-up efforts.{{cite web |last1=Bhattacharjee |first1=Yudhijit |title=Paul Keim on His Life With the FBI During the Anthrax Investigation |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.323.5920.1416 |website=Science |pages=1416–1416 |language=en |doi=10.1126/science.323.5920.1416 |date=13 March 2009}} Documentation of this work includes Keim’s appearance in a 2022 Netflix documentary Anthrax Attacks.{{cite web |title=NAU professor featured in Netflix documentary on anthrax attacks |url=https://www.knau.org/knau-and-arizona-news/2022-10-24/nau-professor-featured-in-netflix-documentary-on-anthrax-attacks |website=KNAU |language=en |date=24 October 2022}}

His research also investigated the 1993 anthrax attack in Japan to the Aum Shinrikyo cult, demonstrating the forensic applications of genomic technology in biodefense.{{cite web |title=Anthrax's Dogged Detective |url=https://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/bioter/anthraxsdoggeddetective.html |website=Los Angeles Times}}{{cite web |title=On Science History Podcast, NAU professors break down biological detective work needed to break open 2001 anthrax attacks – The NAU Review |url=https://news.nau.edu/keim-von-hippel-science-history-podcast/ |website=Northern Arizona University}}

Keim leads the Pathogen Genomics Program, a collaboration between TGen and NAU.{{cite web |last1=Giblin |first1=Paul |title=Deadly diseases lurk in little-known Arizona university biolabs |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/investigations/2015/05/30/arizona-university-biolabs-scant-acclaim-concern-deadly-diseases/28178527/ |website=The Arizona Republic}} The program focuses on three core areas:

1. Biodefense – Enhancing forensic analysis for biological weapons.
2. Human-Pathogen Interactions – Understanding the relationship between humans and microbial pathogens to develop new diagnostics and treatments.
3. Disease Movement – Studying how pathogens spread to control and prevent future outbreaks.

His work has not only addressed bioterrorism but has also extended to public health, helping to develop molecular identification tools for pathogens like E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, and tuberculosis.{{cite web |last1=McKinnon |first1=Shaun |title=The plague is all over Arizona. But don't worry. Really. |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/life/az-narratives/2014/05/16/the-plague-is-all-over-arizona-but-dont-worry-really/9132291/ |website=The Arizona Republic}}

Keim's has been involved in tracking various disease outbreaks, including the identification of the source of a cholera outbreak in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and determining the spread of Valley fever in organ transplant cases. His efforts have contributed to a better understanding of how pathogens evolve and spread, with the goal of mitigating future public health crises.{{cite web |title=In Haiti, Global Failures on a Cholera Epidemic |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/world/americas/haitis-cholera-outraced-the-experts-and-tainted-the-un.html |website=The New York Times}}

• {{cite journal |last1=Keim |first1=P. |last2=Smith |first2=K. L. |last3=Keys |first3=C. |last4=Takahashi |first4=H. |last5=Kurata |first5=T. |last6=Kaufmann |first6=A. |title=Molecular investigation of the Aum Shinrikyo anthrax release in Kameido, Japan |journal=Journal of Clinical Microbiology |date=December 2001 |volume=39 |issue=12 |pages=4566–4567 |doi=10.1128/JCM.39.12.4566-4567.2001 |issn=0095-1137|pmc=88589 }}
• {{cite journal |last1=Achtman |first1=Mark |last2=Morelli |first2=Giovanna |last3=Zhu |first3=Peixuan |last4=Wirth |first4=Thierry |last5=Diehl |first5=Ines |last6=Kusecek |first6=Barica |last7=Vogler |first7=Amy J. |last8=Wagner |first8=David M. |last9=Allender |first9=Christopher J. |last10=Easterday |first10=W. Ryan |last11=Chenal-Francisque |first11=Viviane |last12=Worsham |first12=Patricia |last13=Thomson |first13=Nicholas R. |last14=Parkhill |first14=Julian |last15=Lindler |first15=Luther E. |last16=Carniel |first16=Elisabeth |last17=Keim |first17=Paul |title=Microevolution and history of the plague bacillus, Yersinia pestis |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=21 December 2004 |volume=101 |issue=51 |pages=17837–17842 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0408026101 |language=en |issn=0027-8424|pmc=535704 }}
• {{cite journal |last1=Pearson |first1=Talima |last2=Busch |first2=Joseph D. |last3=Ravel |first3=Jacques |last4=Read |first4=Timothy D. |last5=Rhoton |first5=Shane D. |last6=U'Ren |first6=Jana M. |last7=Simonson |first7=Tatum S. |last8=Kachur |first8=Sergey M. |last9=Leadem |first9=Rebecca R. |last10=Cardon |first10=Michelle L. |last11=Van Ert |first11=Matthew N. |last12=Huynh |first12=Lynn Y. |last13=Fraser |first13=Claire M. |last14=Keim |first14=Paul |title=Phylogenetic discovery bias in Bacillus anthracis using single-nucleotide polymorphisms from whole-genome sequencing |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=14 September 2004 |volume=101 |issue=37 |pages=13536–13541 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0403844101 |language=en |issn=0027-8424|pmc=518758 }}
• {{cite journal |last1=Johansson |first1=Anders |last2=Farlow |first2=Jason |last3=Larsson |first3=Pär |last4=Dukerich |first4=Meghan |last5=Chambers |first5=Elias |last6=Byström |first6=Mona |last7=Fox |first7=James |last8=Chu |first8=May |last9=Forsman |first9=Mats |last10=Sjöstedt |first10=Anders |last11=Keim |first11=Paul |title=Worldwide genetic relationships among Francisella tularensis isolates determined by multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis |journal=Journal of Bacteriology |date=September 2004 |volume=186 |issue=17 |pages=5808–5818 |doi=10.1128/JB.186.17.5808-5818.2004 |issn=0021-9193|pmc=516809 }}
• {{cite journal |last1=Girard |first1=Jessica M. |last2=Wagner |first2=David M. |last3=Vogler |first3=Amy J. |last4=Keys |first4=Christine |last5=Allender |first5=Christopher J. |last6=Drickamer |first6=Lee C. |last7=Keim |first7=Paul |title=Differential plague-transmission dynamics determine Yersinia pestis population genetic structure on local, regional, and global scales |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |date=1 June 2004 |volume=101 |issue=22 |pages=8408–8413 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0401561101 |issn=0027-8424|pmc=420407 }}
• {{cite journal |last1=Keim |first1=Paul |last2=Van Ert |first2=Matthew N. |last3=Pearson |first3=Talima |last4=Vogler |first4=Amy J. |last5=Huynh |first5=Lynn Y. |last6=Wagner |first6=David M. |title=Anthrax molecular epidemiology and forensics: using the appropriate marker for different evolutionary scales |journal=Infection, Genetics and Evolution |date=1 September 2004 |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=205–213 |doi=10.1016/j.meegid.2004.02.005 |issn=1567-1348}}
• {{cite journal |last1=Keim |first1=P. |last2=Price |first2=L. B. |last3=Klevytska |first3=A. M. |last4=Smith |first4=K. L. |last5=Schupp |first5=J. M. |last6=Okinaka |first6=R. |last7=Jackson |first7=P. J. |last8=Hugh-Jones |first8=M. E. |title=Multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis reveals genetic relationships within Bacillus anthracis |journal=Journal of Bacteriology |date=May 2000 |volume=182 |issue=10 |pages=2928–2936 |doi=10.1128/JB.182.10.2928-2936.2000 |issn=0021-9193|pmc=102004 }}
• {{cite journal |last1=Keim |first1=P. |last2=Diers |first2=B. W. |last3=Olson |first3=T. C. |last4=Shoemaker |first4=R. C. |title=RFLP Mapping in Soybean: Association between Marker Loci and Variation in Quantitative Traits |journal=Genetics |date=November 1990 |volume=126 |issue=3 |pages=735–742 |issn=0016-6731}}
• {{cite journal |last1=Martinsen |first1=G. D. |last2=Whitham |first2=T. G. |last3=Turek |first3=R. J. |last4=Keim |first4=P. |title=Hybrid populations selectively filter gene introgression between species |journal=Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution |date=July 2001 |volume=55 |issue=7 |pages=1325–1335 |doi=10.1111/j.0014-3820.2001.tb00655.x |issn=0014-3820}}

• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. AAAS. 2015.
• Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology 2002.
• AZBio Researcher of the Year 2012{{cite web |title=2012 AZBio Researcher |url=https://sciencex.com/wire-news/112032341/tgens-and-naus-dr-paul-keim-named-azbios-2012-bioscience-researc.html |website=sciencex.com}}
• Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters, Northern Arizona University 2013

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Category:Living people

Category:American geneticists

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Category:American microbiologists

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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)