David C. Molik, Ph.D.

Profile

Scholar and infrastructure leader working across scholarly communication, research cyberinfrastructure, FAIR and AI-ready data, persistent identifiers, computational reproducibility, data publishing, cyberbiosecurity, agricultural informatics, and computational biology.

• ORCID
• K-State Experts
• K-State Libraries
• GitHub

Academic and professional appointments

1. 2025–present

   Associate Professor and Department Head

   Open Publishing Exchange, Kansas State University Libraries · Manhattan, Kansas

2. 2023–2025

   Computational Biologist

   Arthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research Unit, USDA Agricultural Research Service · Manhattan, Kansas

3. 2021–2023

   Research Biologist / Postdoctoral Researcher

   Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service · Hilo, Hawaiʻi

4. 2020–2021

   Graduate Scholar

   Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship, University of Notre Dame · Notre Dame, Indiana

5. 2014–2016

   Scientific Informatics Developer

   Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory · Cold Spring Harbor, New York

6. 2013–2014

   Software Engineer and Network Operations Center Manager

   Synacor · Buffalo, New York

Education

1. 2021

   Ph.D., Integrated Biomedical Sciences

   Concentration in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics · University of Notre Dame

2. 2012

   B.S., Information Technology and Web Science

   Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Selected grants and sponsored projects

Current proposals

1. 2026

   K-FORGE: A Federated Open Research Gateway for Executable, Reproducible, and AI-Enabled Science

   Principal investigator · National Science Foundation IDSS proposal · Approximately $9 million · Under review

2. 2026

   AgDex

   Principal investigator · USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Open Data Framework proposal · $923,325 · Under review

Awarded support

1. 2024

   Using House Flies as Sentinels to Monitor Existing, Emerging and Cryptic Microbial Threats to U.S. Military Personnel

   Co-principal investigator · Department of Defense Global Emerging Infections Surveillance Program · $150,000

2. 2021

   Oracle for Research cloud-computing award

   $90,000 in cloud credits supporting development of a scientific cloud application

3. 2016–2018

   Amazon Web Services Cloud Credits for Research

   Three awards totaling $60,000 in cloud credits for open-source bioinformatics infrastructure, cloud research systems, and metagenomic enrichment pipelines

Selected leadership and professional service

• Co-Editor-in-Chief, Cyberbiosecurity Quarterly
• Steering Committee, AgBioData
• Chair, i5k Training Working Group
• Advisory Board, Biological Information Sharing and Analysis Center (BIO-ISAC)
• Research Data Alliance Artificial Intelligence and Data Visitation Working Group
• FAIR Scientific Literature Working Group
• Genome Assembly Nomenclature Working Group
• Vice Chair, K-State Libraries Faculty and Professional Staff

Selected publications and scholarly outputs

1. 2026

   Toward standardization in arthropod and biodiversity genome projects

   GENETICS

   DOI
2. 2025

   Guidelines for gene and genome assembly nomenclature

   GENETICS

   DOI
3. 2025

   AgBioDatabase Finder: an online tool to help researchers find and submit agricultural genomic, genetic, and breeding data

   microPublication Biology

   DOI
4. 2025

   System Security Assessment Plan Template

   Research Data Alliance Artificial Intelligence and Data Visitation Working Group

   Report
5. 2024

   FAIR Header Reference genome: a TRUSTworthy standard

   Briefings in Bioinformatics

   DOI
6. 2024

   otb: an automated HiC/HiFi pipeline assembles the Prosapia bicincta genome

   G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics

   DOI
7. 2022

   met v1: expanding on old estimations of biodiversity from eDNA with a new database framework

   Database

   DOI
8. 2021

   Combining natural language processing and metabarcoding to reveal pathogen-environment associations

   PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

   DOI
9. 2020

   RDA COVID-19 Guidelines and Recommendations

   Research Data Alliance

   DOI

View the complete scholarly record on ORCID

Selected teaching and mentoring

• Certified Carpentries instructor; bioinformatics and computational research workshops for USDA Agricultural Research Service
• Designer and instructor, BIOS 60132: Introduction to Computational Genomics, University of Notre Dame
• Organizer and lead instructor, Bioinformatics Introductory Program Week, University of Notre Dame
• Instructor, Data Carpentries Genomics, Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship
• Research mentoring in bioinformatics, biocuration, data stewardship, scholarly communication, and reproducible computing

Selected recognition

• AgBioData Data FAIRification Award, 2024
• Eagle Scout

Contact

Kansas State University Libraries
Open Publishing Exchange
molik@k-state.edu · 785‑532‑5399

Last updated August 2026. ORCID is the authoritative source for the complete publication record.