Dec. 15, 2025
Contact: Cary Littlejohn, carylittlejohn@missouri.edu
Photo by Samuel Byerly
Sam Byerly came to the University of Missouri thinking he knew what he would study and what his future would hold. But powered by the unlimited possibilities available to students at Mizzou, Byerly discovered new passions and a new future. What began as a traditional journey toward medical school and a career as a physician evolved into something completely different — and just as rewarding.
This weekend, Byerly will graduate with two degrees — in computer science and statistics — and two minors in biology and mathematics, all while maintaining the high academic standards required to earn an Honors Certificate from the Honors College. His path reflects the very best of Mizzou: academic fearlessness, hands-on exploration and a community that champions curiosity and collaboration.
A winding path — and the freedom to follow it
Byerly arrived at Mizzou ready to pursue biochemistry in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. But after taking an introductory programming course, everything changed. He had no prior coding experience, yet he quickly found himself hooked. One class turned into two and then into a growing fascination with the intersection of life sciences and advanced technology.
Mizzou didn’t just allow that pivot; Mizzou powered it.
Through a fellowship with Peter Cornish, associate professor of biochemistry, Byerly conducted research that attempted something extraordinary: capturing the microscopic movements of a ribosome, a tiny, complex cellular structure. The project married lab science with high-tech experimentation and opened Byerly’s eyes to entirely new possibilities.
But what resonated most was the support he received to explore his interests.
“I never felt pressured to stay on a single path,” Byerly said. “This is a place that encourages discovering what you’re passionate about.”
By his junior year, Byerly officially made the leap into computer science in the College of Engineering. And he didn’t slow down. The following year, he secured another prestigious fellowship — this time with Praveen Rao, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science — using deep learning to advance biomedical image analysis.
Byerly now plans to pursue a career in the field of data science, combining his interest in computer science with a statistics degree from the College of Arts and Science to round out his skill set.
Thriving outside the classroom
Byerly’s Mizzou experience wasn’t defined solely by coursework or research. It was shaped by real-world challenges, leadership and a drive to create solutions.
Working as a student employee in the Office of Undergraduate Research, he helped solve a major logistical problem: scheduling presentations for roughly 600 student presenters during Show Me Research Week. What previously had been a tedious manual process became an efficient, student-centered system after Byerly engineered a custom scheduling program.
He also devoted five semesters as a tutor for Mizzou Athletics and two semesters as a peer learning advisor.
“You never learn anything better than when you have to teach it,” he said. “It made me a better communicator and a better human, not just a better academic.”
His willingness to collaborate across disciplines led him to Mizzou’s Institute of Public Policy, where he applied his data expertise to pressing public health questions in Missouri.
“I love that nothing is siloed here,” he said. “Every discipline exists at Mizzou, so if you’re curious about something, you’ll find someone doing related work.”
That curiosity also took him to World Agricultural Economic and Environmental Services, a Columbia-based consulting firm specializing in global agricultural and biofuel market modeling. Byerly was recommended to the company by his computer science mentor, Jim Ries, and in the job, he gained industry-level experience in programming, model interpretation and data analysis.
“This opportunity has been a really nice mixture of academia and the corporate world,” Byerly said. “It’s given me practical experience I wouldn’t have gotten elsewhere.”From biochemistry to computer science, athletics tutoring to global market modeling, Byerly’s journey reflects what’s possible at Mizzou: a university where students don’t have to choose a single path — they can build their own and discover where it leads them.
