DSSS - Competition and warfare in bacteria and the human microbiome

Microbial communities contain many evolving and interacting bacteria, which makes them difficult to understand and predict. Using a combination of theory and experiment, we study what it takes for bacteria to succeed in diverse communities. One way is to actively kill and inhibit competitors and a key goal of the lab is to understand the impacts of bacterial warfare. We are now also seeking to use our understanding of bacterial competition to manipulate gut communities for better health.