Zach DeBruine is an Assistant Professor of Bioinformatics at Grand Valley State University in Michigan. He obtained his Ph.D. in molecular biology from the Van Andel Research Institute, but acquired programming expertise during the COVID lockdowns, facilitating a career transition into bioinformatics. At GVSU, he now leads a research group dedicated to developing foundation models for genomics, teaches graduate machine learning, and seeks new ways to incorporate AI effectively into research and education. Additionally, as the founder and CEO of Herd Social, Inc., he is commercializing cutting-edge technology aimed at diagnosing and connecting individuals with rare genetic diseases.