We seek to understand the molecular, genetic, and ecological foundations of host-microbe interactions and exploit this understanding to improve human health.
Multicellular life evolved in and continues to inhabit a world dominated by microbes. A poignant illustration of humanity’s place in this microbial world is our relationship with the microbial communities (microbiomes) that inhabit our bodies. Compositional and functional shifts in microbiomes are implicated in a broad spectrum of human disease states, highlighting the need to understand and actively manage our relationship with our microbiomes to promote human health. To address this need, our laboratory leverages a multi-faceted toolkit to understand the molecular mechanisms and genetic circuitry underlying the ecology of the gut microbiome.