Oliver Hardcastle

Bruce Taillon

Megan Niederwerder

Dr. Garret Suen

Dr. Garret Suen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. He studies how symbiotic microbes within ruminants impact their host production in addition to using the rumen ecosystem as a model for the production of biofuels. He utilizes numerous “omics” approaches to study microbiomes including amplicon sequencing, shotgun metagenomics, RNA-seq, and metaproteomics. Dr. Suen received a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences and a B.Sc. in Computer Sciences from the University of Calgary, Canada. He also obtained a M.Sc. in Computer Sciences from the University of Calgary, Canada, where he focused on developing agent-based algorithms based on swarming behaviour in ants. He received his Ph.D. from Syracuse University, USA from the laboratory of Roy Welch where he worked on the swarming bacterium Myxococcus xanthus. He then completed post-doctoral work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA in the laboratory of Cameron Currie where he published the first metagenome and genome sequence for the leaf-cutter ant Atta cephalotes.

Roderick Mackie

As is evident from my publications and experience, I am an expert in microbial ecology and physiology of the gut of both animals and humans having worked in this field for 45 years. This includes experience with both classical cultivation based anaerobic techniques as well as modern cultivation independent molecular ecology and genomic approaches to the study of physiology, metabolism and ecology of the normal intestinal microbiota. We have used a range of different molecular techniques to study population structure and function, most recently Next Generation 16S rRNA based pyrosequencing and RNA-Seq approaches. I try to use functional approaches to determine mechanisms for presence, activity and function of genes and genomes in gut systems.

Andres Gomez

Brian Oakley

I am a microbial ecologist interested in tackling important problems at the interface of basic and applied research.  The revolution in high-throughput DNA sequencing has conclusively demonstrated the importance of microbial communities for life on earth.  Microbial ecology cuts across many fields and I have applied the tools and techniques of microbial ecology to disciplines ranging from oceanography to human and animal health.  My graduate training combined classical and microbial ecology but I only considered myself a microbiologist after working in the Microbiology Department of the University of Washington, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and the University of Warwick.  Four years as a research microbiologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service gave me first-hand knowledge of the poultry industry and a chance to apply the tools and techniques of microbial ecology to veterinary microbiology.  Most of the current focus of my research is on the poultry microbiome and its relationships to food safety, infectious disease, and poultry nutrition.  Our standard toolkit combines field work with classical microbiology, microscopy, quantitative PCR, high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing, metagenomics, and associated bioinformatics.  We are currently funded through several intramural mechanisms, extramural grants, and industry partnerships.

Cyril Gay

Mahmoud Ghannoum

John Parkinson

Eric Diller

Leluo Guan

Dr. Guan is currently a Professor at the University of Alberta in the area of functional genomics. BSc of Microbiology from Wuhan University, China and MSc and PhD from Kyoto University of Japan, she has over 20 years of experience in the area of functional genomics, molecular biology and microbial ecology. Her main Areas of Research include 1). Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of host-microbial interactions by characterization of bovine gut microbial ecology and its functions using metagenomics/metatranscriptomics approaches, and host gene expression using a functional genomics approach 2). Association between gut microbial ecology and feed efficiency, methane emission and gut immunity development in beef and dairy cattle 3). Study of the bovine transcriptome, proteome, and non-coding microRNAs and their roles in economically important traits Elucidation of molecular regulatory mechanisms of various economically important traits and the potential to provide knowledge and technology to improve animal production and health are the long-term goals of her research program.

To date, she has developed a research program that has been recognized as one of the leading programs for the rumen microbiome, bovine functional genomics, and host-microbial interactions in cattle in Canada. Her lab has been the first to link the ruminal microbial structure with variation in feed intake, feed efficiency processes, and methane emission. These results provide clues to ways for improving physiological processes in the rumen in that it is necessary to characterize and manipulate the dynamic structures of ruminal microbes rather than focusing only on individual species of microorganisms. Her research program examines host microbial interactions in cattle, and the mechanisms of host regulatory mechanisms (functional genomics) in response to environmental or treatment factors. This has implications beyond improving animal production (feed efficiency) and health, as it can also improve farm environments (greenhouse gas production) and food safety (food borne pathogen shedding) and yield benefits for animal and human health. To date, Dr. Guan has published more than 150 peer-reviewed papers.

Xandra Smith

My career path has led me to not only travel extensively, but has allowed me to develop the competencies that I need in order to successfully develop new microbial products. An initial interest in becoming a Park Ranger was thwarted by my Dad, who much wiser than me (and not wanting to support a grown daughter) suggested I include sciences other than Botany and Zoology into my curriculum. I chose microbiology and was soon fascinated by the complexity of the microbial world especially when I had the chance to study anaerobic fungi, a small part of the complex microbiota of the rumen, essential for digestion in ruminants, as an Honors project. An internship at the Laboratory for Microbial Ecology at the University of Gent, Belgium cemented my interest in microbial ecology. My official research career started at the Agriculture Research Council in South Africa where I became proficient in anaerobic microbiological culture and fermentations, while developing a probiotic product (now commercially available in the United States) to prevent ruminal acidosis in cattle. Knowing how the diet has a profound effect on the microbiota in the gut I chose to study a Ph.D.at the University of Illinois to determine how the microbiota adapt to and metabolize plant secondary compounds. Acaciella (Acacia) angustissima was the chosen shrub as it develops biomass rapidly, has high protein content, but was deleterious to sheep when fed at high levels. Evaluation of its toxic effects in rats determined that the main anti-nutritional compounds were proanthocyanidin polyphenolics (condensed tannins). There were profound changes in gut microbiota and phenolic metabolites in the urine when the condensed tannins were purified and fed at non-physiological levels to the rats indicating that the bacteria able to modify these compounds are naturally present at low levels in the gut. I then went on to Postdoc at Southwestern Medical Center to gain an understanding of protein expression in bacteria to determine how genes of interest are turned on when needed. In 2007 I returned to gut microbiology as Ruminant Research director at Agtech Products. Here we used our competence in microbial ecology to understand the complex interactions between microbes and their environment in order to develop microbial solutions for both food and feed applications. Probiotics to reduce scours in calves, increase milk production in dairy cows and reduce methane in beef cattle were developed in this time. In order to better understand the mode of action of the bacterial products developed we sequenced the genomes and studied the genetic pathways unique to the chosen probiotic strains. Danisco, which in turn was acquired by DuPont, purchased Agtech Products in 2008. Study of microbial communities and the unique genetic capabilities of bacterial strains were expanded to other areas within DuPont when the Genomics and Ecology of Microbes team was established in 2011. My team’s focus was to use next generation sequencing to assemble and mine genomes of commercially relevant bacteria and to determine the microbial diversity in food, intestines and soil in order to use this information for new product development. This focus was continued as a co-owner of Agro BioSciences in 2013, which was acquired by Church and Dwight (Arm and Hammer Animal Nutrition) in May 2017. My chosen career has led me to use molecular tools to understand the diversity and functional capabilities of bacteria in the gut and their response to dietary components, but more importantly to determine ways to use the knowledge gained to manipulate the ecosystem for improved functionality and thereby host health. 

Sungtaek Oh

Scott Carter