Departments
Current Research Project(s)
Studies of complex microbial communities are limited by a lack of cultured taxa and challenges in designing relevant experimental manipulations. "Meta-omics" methods are one way to overcome this, generating large quantities of highly multidimensional data that can inform detailed observational studies. I am interested in developing and using advanced bioinformatic and statistical approaches to harness these data for biological insights that go beyond correlations and that inform our mechanistic understanding of microbial processes. For my dissertation research I study the effects of longevity enhancing drugs on the gut microbiome, in particular the production of microbial metabolites that may impact host health. I am especially interested in ecological and evolutionary phenomena that affect microbial communities across the full breadth of environmental and taxonomic diversity.