John Gibbons

Our research program focuses on both the beneficial and detrimental ends of the food-microbe spectrum. Our group studies the impact of domestication on the genomes and phenotypes of beneficial microbes used in the production of traditional fermented foods such as sake, meju, and pulque. Our second area of research centers on genetic basis of virulence in Aspergillus fumigatus, a potentially lethal pathogen of animals, including humans and livestock. To address these topics, we incorporate cutting-edge DNA sequencing methodologies, computational genomics, population genetics, molecular biology, and laboratory experiments.