Summary
Interest
Ancient relationships between hosts and microbes provide insight into key biological processes, including digestion, infection, nutrition, resistance to disease, immune programming, and metabolic development. By understanding these relationships and how they are created or maintained, my work seeks to build rational, translational technologies and therapies. Using biotechnology, molecular biology, and an understanding of ecological and evolutionary relationships, we aim to improve our understanding of the gut microbiome and its interactions with food. We also actively facilitate the dissemination of these discoveries and innovations for practice in industry, medicine, and research.
Accomplishments
Funding Awards
- National Institutes for Health, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Ruth Kirschstein NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship. 2015 “The Impact of Milk Glycopeptide and Bifidobacterium on the Weaning Gut Microbiome” F32AT00853301
Patents
- Nutritive compositions with bioactive proteins.”
WO2021021765A1. 2019. - Compositions and methods to promote host defense and stimulate, expand, and/or reset T-cell repertoires.”
WO2019232513A1. 2018. - Compositions and method of use for H5-competent Bifidobacterium Longum subsp. infantis”
US Patent Application. 2018. 20220010267 - Novel oligosaccharides for use in prebiotic applications”
US Patent Application. 2018. 2021016924 - Diagnosis and treatment of dysbiosis associated with NEC.” WO2020142755A1. 2019.
- Activation of conditionally-expressed oligosaccharide pathways during fermentation of probiotic strains.” WO2019143871A1. 2018.
- Method for determining dysbiosis in the intestinal microbiome.” WO2019136186A2. 2018.
- Oligosaccharide compositions and their use during transitional phases of the mammalian gut microbiome.” WO2019055717A1. 2017.
- Metabolomic revision of mammalian infants.” WO2019055718A1. 2017.
- Method for facilitation maturation of the mammalian immune system.” WO2018006080A1. 2016.
- Food compositions for weaning.” WO2017156548A1. 2016.
- Transient commensal microorganisms for improving gut health.” WO2017156550A1. 2016.
- Compositions that metabolize or sequester free sugar monomers and uses thereof.” WO2016149149A1. 2015.
- Reduction of milk glycans and their degradation products in the neonate gut.” WO2016094836A1. 2014.
Awards, Honors, & Professional Recognition
- Outstanding Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award, University of Nevada, Reno College of Agriculture, Biotechnology, & Natural Resources
- Early Career Innovator Award, University of Nevada, Reno Foundation
- Jules Tournut Probiotics Prize, European Probiotic Association, for “innovative and significant contributions to probiotic research in animal nutrition.”
Education
B.S. Allegheny College
Ph.D. University of Nebraska, Lincoln