I'm currently researching how ocean and soil microbiomes affect global health, particularly how microbes in the ocean contribute to oxygen production and carbon dioxide sequestration.

We're exploring directed evolution of bacteria to produce various products, including biomaterials and therapeutics, using computational methods in a lab setting.

I conduct pioneering studies on how our behavior and the environment can modify our gene expression.

We're building general autonomy software for industrial vehicles, making clinical skincare products for people of color, and developing the world's first biodegradable and carbon-neutral polyester alternative engineered from food waste.

There's a growing field focused on reprogramming the gut microbiome, which is more malleable than our human genome, making it easier to change gut microbes for health improvements.

The Human Microbiome Project aimed to define healthy versus diseased microbiomes by studying diverse populations, revealing significant individuality in gut microbiomes and the challenges in establishing universal health standards. Additionally, the microbiomes of traditional populations represent the closest approximation to how our ancestors lived, suggesting that our current industrialized microbiome may be deteriorating due to factors like antibiotic use and a Western diet.

Microbes can reflect our health status and actively affect our health, as shown in studies by Jeff Gordon's group at Washington University.

To manipulate the gut microbiome, one can use antibiotics, probiotics, or prebiotics, but the full effects of these methods are still under study.

I care a lot about understanding how our systems are used in the wild and the impact that has on real people around the world.