Research

Microbes play a central role in processes that are crucial for life on earth. The microbial-driven processes that our lab is researching include carbon cycling in forests, microbiome interactions that promote host health, soil fertility in agriculture, the role of normal flora in preventing disease, lichen symbiotic interactions, and microbial genomics. Current projects include:

Comparative Functional Genomics of Antibiotic-Susceptible and Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens

Effect of chronic, sub-lethal pesticide exposure on the gut microbiota of a model organism

Assessing bird range geographic shifts utilizing arthropod prey species’ phenology, availability, and life history at the deciduous-boreal ecotone

Ecological assessment of threatened vegetation communities in rock glaciers to monitor impact of climate change

A cooperative agreement to collect baseline data and ongoing capacity to monitor indicator species, tree growth, and carbon sequestration potential

Assessing the Link between Antibiotic-Resistance Genes in Health Care Facilities & Environmental Reservoirs