Research Area: Microbiota and Microbiomes

We study the transmission and impacts of infectious disease in a changing ocean and mechanisms of immune function in marine invertebrates. We work to identify the value of intact ocean biodiversity and develop strategies towards a healthier ocean.

The Schmidt lab focuses on microbial community diversity, metabolic activity, and genome evolution in aquatic environments. Students will gain experience with microbial ecology and computational tools. As an example project, students can characterize the microbial communities in marine sediments associated with oyster beds to understand[...]

The Feaga Lab uses structural, biochemical, and omics approaches to study bacterial ribosomes. Our research aims to identify new protein factors that interact with ribosomes and that keep protein synthesis running smoothly. Students will use transposon mutagenesis coupled to deep sequencing (Tn-Seq) to identify genes[...]

The Huberman lab uses genetic and genomic techniques to study the genetic mechanisms used by fungi to sense and respond to the nutrients in their environment. Student projects will include performing genetic screens to identify genes important in nutrient sensing and using genetic and genomic[...]

Macrophages are susceptible to HIV-1 infection and are resistant to virally-induced cell death. Alveolar macrophages (AM) in particular are known to be extremely long-lived and self-renewing, and have been shown to be both permissive to HIV-1 infection and persist in the face of Anti-Retroviral Therapy[...]

Our research is directed at characterizing structures and biological function of biogenic small molecules (BSMs) that regulate development and immune responses in plants and animals and serve important functions with associated microbiota. Using comparative metabolomic approaches we have engaged in a comprehensive effort to characterize[...]

My program is focused on drug discovery and the pathogenesis of infectious human disease. We work closely with the Gates Foundation and the California Institute for Biomedical Research to run high-throughput drug screening on Mycobacterium tuberculosis within the context of the host. We also have human subjects[...]

We study the evolution of vertebrate gut microbes. Our work focuses on the co-evolutionary histories of animals and their microbiota using a combination of omics approaches, gnotobiotic experiments, and field studies. Students will gain experience in anaerobic bacterial culturing, genome sequencing workflows, and comparative genomics bioinformatics[...]

We study how pathogens influence pollinator health. Students collect data on plant-pollinator visitation networks, pathogen prevalence in bees and at flowers, pathogen replication and impacts on host survival, or conduct manipulative experiments to understand transmission parameters. The overall goal of our work is to improve[...]

Our research is focused on understanding how plants protect themselves against microbial pathogens at molecular and cellular levels. Major goals are to determine the mechanisms of salicylic acid (SA) activation and regulation of the plant’s immune responses, and to identify new targets or aspirin (acetyl[...]