I'm Zachary Klug. I build the systems behind biomedical research.
For two decades I've spent my career building and scaling biorepositories — from a university's first central facility, to a biotech unicorn's first lab, to repository operations across federally funded, government-directed programs. The Biobank Advisor is how I help new biobanks get the foundation right from day one.
How I got into this work
I didn't set out to become a biorepository expert. In 2004, I was a research lab technician who happened to have a knack for organizing freezers. Turns out, that skill was in short supply — and it opened doors I didn't know existed.
Over the next two decades I built my career around the systems that make biomedical research possible. I helped found the University of Michigan's first central biorepository. I launched the laboratory at a biotech startup that reached unicorn status. And I've directed repository operations across federally funded, government-directed programs.
What I love about this work is the puzzle: how do you design workflows that scale, systems that don't break, and operations that serve researchers instead of frustrating them? I've solved those problems in academic medical centers, government facilities, and fast-moving startups — and I've made plenty of mistakes along the way.
That's why I started The Biobank Advisor. I've seen what happens when biorepositories are built without the right foundation: wasted resources, compliance headaches, specimens at risk. I want to help new biobanks get it right from the start.
At the end of the day, every specimen stored properly is a chance to advance research that reduces suffering in the world. That's what keeps me in this work.
Two decades, three kinds of institution
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