Research Interests
Members of my lab have developed gnotobiotic animal models, and new experimental and computational approaches to characterize the assembly, dynamic operations, functional properties, and biological effects of human gut microbial communities. We has combined these models with human studies involving twins as well as members of birth cohorts living in low-, middle- and high-income countries representing diverse geographic locations and cultural traditions. My group is focused on addressing the global health challenges of obesity and childhood undernutrition through new understanding of the interactions between diets and the gut microbiome and new ways of promoting healthy development of the gut community during the first several years of postnatal life.