I worked closely with Dr. Brooks for several years and across about five scientific and/or software projects, including the sourmash open source software project (https://github.com/dib-lab/sourmash/) as well as the NIH Data Commons. Phil is a pleasure to work with, combines amazing creativity and intelligence with a broad knowledge of biology and microbiology, deep expertise in computational science, and wonderful organizational skills. He is an incredible team member. I think that Phil stands out to me in particular for his integrative perspective - he is really good at understanding the broader landscape from many different perspectives, and then tying that together into a balanced set of plans with clear priorities. This is a really unusual skill especially when combined with deep subject matter expertise in so many different areas (software, molecular biology, training, and more). In sum: highly recommended!

You cannot find someone who is more focused on the success of clients! When Phil was part of the Seven Bridges team he was always focused on how best to meet and usually the clients expectations. Whether it was a presentation, demonstration, or exchange of scientific ideas Phil was always well prepared and had a very "client first" work ethic. I think the one thing that seperates Phil from others is his ability to assimilate information quickly and then iterate through a solution to solve the particular issue at hand and work closely with a client to fulfill their needs. I think the best testament for anyone is if I would bring them back to an organization if the opportunity afforded itself and without hesitation I would hire Phil back into a variety of positions.

Phil Brooks is a creative leader and was a great advisor among his undergraduate proteges as well as his graduate student peers. Since his Ph.D. graduation, Phillip annually gives back to MSU AGEP and SROP communities through his continued mentorship of future scholars covering a wide range of topics. The development of a diverse scientific workforce is important to him, and he finds formal and informal opportunities to help others. He also represented MSU well during our science advocacy work in Washington DC. Dr. Brooks has remarkable talent of making complex scientific concepts easy to understand. I’m sure he will continue to be trailblazer within any organization he joins.

Diligent, result oriented and an excellent presenter are the words that come to mind when I think of Dr. Phillip Brooks. I have had the pleasure of being part of Phil’s journey in Seven Bridges and collaborating with him on several projects. Phil proved to be a valuable asset in a short span of time. I was truly impressed by Phil’s ability to quickly grasp complex technical concepts and communicate effectively with clients of varying backgrounds. Phil was able to clearly translate customer feedback into product requirements. Phil was great to collaborate with as he understands software, product, cloud technologies, bioinformatics and the complex landscape of genomics and other biological data analysis. Phil’s technical expertise combined with his ability to interact effectively with external and internal cross functional partners would be a great asset to any team. I have no doubt that Phil will continue to excel in his career and make impactful contributions to wherever he goes.

I met Phil in the summer of 2015 at a two-week Next Generation Sequencing bioinformatics workshop (a.k.a. ANGUS) held at the Kellogg Biological Station in Michigan. A distinct highlight of the workshop was meeting Phil, who was a TA (teaching assistant) for the workshop. I have been working with, but mostly learning from, Phil ever since. First, Phil knows his biology, and this serves as a foundation for using NGS technologies and bioinformatics. Second, Phil is a problem solver. Phil is especially good at understanding what needs to be done and figuring out how to do it. This is where the two worlds of biology and bioinformatics meet. Not many people know both, and those that are experts in both fields (like Phil) are incredibly valuable to know and have on your team. The third point, perhaps most importantly, is Phil is a great guy to work with. He is quite willing to share his time and knowledge with you and his career path is inspirational. So much so that I invite him as a motivational speaker for our student Fellowship programs my institution runs.