Our research focuses on uncovering the fundamental principles that govern microbial life across diverse environments.
We investigate how genomic diversity shapes microbial functions, how individual populations contribute to community-level processes, and how microbe-host interactions influence health and ecosystem dynamics.
By integrating multi-omic, ecological, and experimental approaches, we aim to disintangle how microbes operate and adapt across spatial and temporal scales.
We investigate how genomic diversity shapes microbial functions, how individual populations contribute to community-level processes, and how microbe-host interactions influence health and ecosystem dynamics.
By integrating multi-omic, ecological, and experimental approaches, we aim to disintangle how microbes operate and adapt across spatial and temporal scales.
Plant-soil microbiome
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Our work examines how rhizospheric microbes and their metabolites influence plant physiology, immunity, and resilience. Central to this research is understanding host-microbe metabolite exchanges, transformations, and roles during stress.
We focus on drought-associated microbial compounds and their effects on host stress signaling, membrane behavior, and gene expression. Using Arabidopsis protoplasts, we measure rapid cellular responses, including ROS bursts and changes in membrane integrity, to understand how these metabolites influence early stress signaling. We then pair these findings with whole-plant Arabidopsis drought experiments to connect molecular responses to complex physiological outcomes. To capture these interactions across scales, we integrate amplicon sequencing, metagenomics, single-cell microbial isolates, metabolomics, metatranscriptomics, and host transcripts to uncover the molecular drivers of plant-microbe-facilitated resilience. This project is funded by USDA NIFA and NSF CAREER awards. |
Gut microbiome
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Our lab investigates how gut microbes and their functional capacities influence host health, with a particular focus on microbial contributions to inflammation and disease.
We study opportunistic pathogens within the gut microbiome to understand how their metabolic activities and interactions with the host promote inflammatory responses and contribute to the development and progression of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In parallel, we examine protective microbial counterparts, focusing on bacterial-derived metabolites that mitigate inflammation and support intestinal homeostasis. To capture these host-microbe interactions across biological scales, we integrate metagenomics, single-cell microbial isolates, metabolomics, metatranscriptomics, and host RNA sequencing. Our laboratory employs multiple experimental models, including mouse models, HeLa and Caco-2 epithelial cell lines, and human colon organoids, to dissect microbial mechanisms and host responses. This work is supported by funding from the K-INBRE program and Kansas State University JCRC awards. |
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