I apply ecological theory to microbiome research. I’m is specifically interested in microbiome dynamics and how it determines microbiome structure, stability and functionality—ultimately affecting host health and disease. In order to move microbiome research beyond its current descriptive phase, I collaborate with statisticians developing models able to discern among the many factors governing the microbiome. I did my PhD in the Ecological Networks & Global Change Group for Jose M. Montoya (finished 2016) studying the structure and dynamics of complex microbe-host interaction networks, focusing on marine sponges and their associated microbes. In the Archie Lab, I take similar approaches in order to understand the gut microbiome of baboons.