Microbial Ecology & Eco Systems

Environmental microbiome and human health

The bacteria, fungi, and viruses that colonize these environments help shape the human microbiome, and can fundamentally alter the trajectory of our health. Designing our buildings and city spaces with the microbiome in mind may help to improve energy efficiency, health, sustainability, and consequently, worker performance and economic productivity. By mapping the microbiome of our built environments we may track biothreats and diseases, develop sophisticated early warning systems, and understand how a changing climate and increasing population density will shape this world.