Microorganisms are the most abundant life forms on the planet. They are able to colonize and thrive in most environments ranging from the human body to under water thermal vents. I am interested in understanding how microbial communities respond to disturbances, how they maintain diversity, and their role in ecosystem processes. To approach this, I apply molecular microbiology, high-throughput sequencing, computational biology, and field work on microbial communities in situ or in the lab.