Our research is grounded in theories and methods found in the field of ecology and microbiology with application to promote pro-health in both environment and the microbial-host. Our laboratory relies heavily on bioinformatics and molecular techniques to elucidate the mechanism of microbial populations in the contribution to the well-being of the host. Our research primarily falls into the following three main themes — 1) using computational approaches to study populations of genomes after ecological disturbances, 2) using culturing techniques to isolate populations of interest, 3) to determine the mechanisms of microbial ecological succession, and the interplay between the microbiome and its host/environment. In collaboration with other colleagues, we synthesize these multi-omic information with environmental biochemical insights to unravel how these microbial populations is critical to the heath of the environmental and host, especially in the context of environmental perturbations.