The Sprockett Lab

Our lab studies the ecology and evolution of the human microbiome, with a central focus on how host-associated microbial communities assemble in early life, transmit between individuals, and adapt to new hosts and environments. Critically, we also want to improve our understanding of these processes in order to design effective microbiome-based therapies and management approaches to improve human health and wellbeing.

To tackle these and related questions, we use high-throughput genomic and metagenomic approaches across a diverse range of experimental and natural systems, including conventionally-raised, germ-free, and rewilded mouse models; nonhuman primate models; and clinical and cohort-based studies in humans. By fusing experimental and computational approaches with ecological and evolutionary theory, we aim to generate new insights into how the microbiome develops, adapts, and influences health from the very beginning of life.