Dass
Microbial Ecology Laboratory

Research in the Dass lab focuses on the selection pressures shaping microbial ecology at the vital intersection of human health and agriculture. Our research program explores molecular microbial ecology and multi-partite microbiome interactions across various contexts, tackling critical issues such as microbial recontamination in food processing, recurrent bacterial infections, wildlife disease spillover to domestic animals and humans, and antimicrobial resistance in food production and processing. Our work embodies the One Health concept, emphasizing the interconnected pathways of disease transmission among wildlife, livestock, the environment, and humans. Given the complexity of the One Health concept, we employ a systems approach and rely on interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating expertise in microbial ecology, wildlife ecology, biofilm biology, virology, biophysics, multi-omics, and mathematical modeling.