Broadly, our research aims to unravel how (i)genomic diversity impacts microbial functions across various environment, (ii)individual microbial population and their function within the community context, and (iii)microbes interact with its host, and thus impact on the health at various spatial and temporal scales.

Plant-soil microbiome

  • Microbiome of the aquatic, plants and soil (MAPS)
This NSF-funded project assembled a  diverse team of investigators (across institutions and areas of expertise) to undertake a large survey of plant, soil and aquatic microbiomes and their environmental characteristics to catalog these communities and assess the ability of microbiomes to influence crop production, soil condition and water quality in Kansas. In our lab, our goals are to develop a mechanistic understanding of microbiome-mediated ecosystem functions, predict ecosystem responses to changes in precipitation and land-use patterns, and identify ways to select for and utilize microbiomes to produce desired characteristics such as increased agricultural productivity or drought tolerance, efficient nutrient utilization, and enhanced soil quality.

  • Plant host-microbe interaction
​The goal of our study is to quantify how ecotypes of a foundation grass species (Andropogon gerardii) interact with microbial members in the phyllobiome and rhizobiome, and to determine how this plant biotic interaction enhances plant host drought resistance.

Gut microbiome

​We use mouse model, swine model and human microbiome data to examine the microbial community function longitudinally. We use high-resolution gut-associated microbial community functional analysis beyond marker genes to elucidate the impact on microbial function as a result of early antibiotics exposure.

Coral-microbiome

  • Coral host-microbe interaction
​We conducted a transcriptomic characterization of acclimation to acute thermal and cold stress in the reef building coral Acropora muricata and Acropora hyacinthus to determine the response of the coral to acute temperature stress below and above their general tolerance limit. We coupled the information from coral host transcripts changes with the microbial functional change in order to understand the interaction between the coral host and its microbial constituents.