The Search for Fundamental Rules Underlying How Microbiomes Are Constructed

An appreciation of the size and scope of microbiomes creates new curiosities: How do these cells interact in generating complex functions that affect their host organisms?

Understanding the rules that govern how microbial communities are constructed and how they interact is the key to unlocking the potential of the microbiome, from clinical diagnostics to bioengineering.

In this talk, C. Brandon Ogbunu will explore the possible existence of fundamental rules governing how the microbes that construct larger communities interact. To accomplish this, he will discuss research across several fields — including molecular microbiology, population genetics, ecology and applied mathematics — all toward understanding the mystery and caprice of the microbiome, one of the most complex biological systems in the known universe.