We use ecological and evolutionary frameworks to understand the role of microbial interactions in human health and disease.
Using cutting-edge sequencing approaches and classic microbiology techniques, we ask questions such as:
How are microbial interactions impacted by genomic diversity, transcriptomic heterogeneity, and spatial patterning?
How is bacterial physiology in the host environment shaped by microbe-microbe and microbe-host interactions?
Our primary foci are the oral and vaginal microbiota.
The human oral cavity is a diverse and dynamic environment where microbial interactions are directly linked to gum disease and cavities. Similarly, microbial diversity in the female genital tract is a key determinant of women’s health, but the factors that mediate the (in)stability and function of the vaginal microbiota are largely unknown.