Research and Current Projects
Overarching Topics:
Symbioses between microbes and eukaryotes are ubiquitous in nature, ranging from intracellular bacteria in in tubeworms to the human microbiome, yet little is known about most. Research interests include metabolic and genetic capabilities of symbionts, evolutionary relationships with free-living bacteria, co-evolution and co-adaptation of host and symbiont. Diverse symbioses are studied, including photo- and chemosynthetic symbioses from deep-sea hydrothermal vents, coastal sediments, and caves, photosymbiotic bivalves, amoebae/bacteria associations, and wild bird and human microbiomes.