Research

Below is a brief description of our research interests. Click each link to find out more about that topic.

 

• Anaerobic Fungi. Our lab is primarily interested in the ecology, diversity, evolution, taxonomy, genomics, and biotechnological potential of the anaerobic gut fungi (phylum Neocallimastigomycota). This fascinating group of fungi is only known from the alimentary tract of herbivores where they play a key role in plant biomass digestion for the benefit of their hosts.
• Environmental Genomics. A large fraction of microorganisms on Earth remain uncultured. We focus on the identification and recovery of genomes belonging to these novel yet-uncultured lineages using culture-independent sequencing-based approaches and bioinformatic analysis.
• Freshwater Algal Blooms. Lakes are important sources of drinking water and recreational activities, yet increasingly suffer from eutrophication and incidents of algal blooms. Our research aims to use microbial, chemical, and climatological factors to decipher patterns of bloom occurrence in freshwater lakes by utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning strategies.