Rising Star Recognized for Real-World Problem Solving

Problem-solving is at the core of Mary Lauren Benton’s educational philosophy. A 2015 Baylor graduate who returned to her alma mater to build her teaching and research career. Benton, B.S. ’15, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer science, applies computer science methods to address questions in human health. Her bioinformatics research provides students with an example of how the discipline is ripe for interdisciplinary partnerships to meet global needs.

This past fall, Benton was recognized as a 2025 KEEN Rising Star by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN), a national engineering community whose focus is on developing an entrepreneurial mindset in future engineers. Only three Rising Star recognitions were presented nationally this year, and the honor brings funding for a project of her choosing. Benton, who has taken her research to area schools and workshops, hopes to build immersive undergraduate opportunities through that funding.

Specifically, Benton’s research focuses on the interpretation of DNA sequences and their ability to alter genome function and impact disease risk. Her work has implications for substance abuse risk, genetic diseases and more. Beyond her own focus, Benton helps her students discover how their computing skills 
have a ripple effect to far corners of the world, whatever problems they feel called to solve.

“In college, I was drawn to bioinformatics because I realized it gave me a toolkit that I could use to make meaningful contributions to our understanding of human health,” Benton says. “I want my students to feel that same sense of possibility in their own learning.”