Research Projects
Our lab investigates three core pillars of microbiome science to improve livestock health and sustainability.
1. Microbiome & Host Health
Goal: To understand how early-life microbial colonization shapes the immune system in swine and ruminants.
We are investigating:
- The "window of opportunity" for gut colonization in piglets.
- How maternal diet influences the offspring's microbiome (maternal imprinting).
- Development of synbiotics (probiotics + prebiotics) to reduce scouring and improve weaning transitions.
2. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
Goal: To map and mitigate the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in livestock environments.
We use metagenomics to study:
- The "resistome" of cattle and swine manure.
- How manure treatment methods (composting, anaerobic digestion) affect ARG persistence.
- The role of plasmids in transferring resistance between environmental and pathogenic bacteria.
3. Sustainability & Methane Mitigation
Goal: To reduce the environmental footprint of livestock production.
Current projects include:
- Characterizing the rumen microbiome of high- vs. low-methane emitting cattle.
- Testing feed additives (e.g., biochar, tannins) that inhibit methanogens without hurting digestion.
- Using multi-omics to discover novel biomarkers for feed efficiency.
Rumen Biobank Construction
As a key component of our mitigation strategy, we are isolating and characterizing novel rumen microbes to build a comprehensive biobank.
Examples of anaerobic culture plates showing diverse microbial morphology.
