Research
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Food & Human Health
We study how food affects development, disease, and lifelong well-being. Our teams work across medicine, science, and engineering to explore diet-related diseases, food allergies, metabolic health, and nutrition equity. We also design personalized nutrition strategies and create solutions to prevent illness and improve health for all.
Sonnenburg Lab
Our research program aims to elucidate the basic principles that govern interactions within the intestinal microbiota and between the microbiota and the host. Specifically, we are exploring the effects of perturbations in the intestinal environment, such as changes in diet, microbial community composition, pathogen exposure, host genotype, and microbiota-targeted small molecules.
Cremer Lab
Admittedly, we are a bit obsessed with microbial growth. How do tiny microbial cells harbor thousands of enzymes and coordinate a myriad of processes to replicate and thrive? Can we find in a sea of complexity the essential principles which determine growth? We approach these fundamental questions of systems biology by combining experiments with mathematical modeling and data analysis.
Gardner Lab
Our team is dedicated to rigorous science and passionate about advancing nutrition research and its impact on health and the environment. Our long-term vision is to help create a world-class Stanford Food Systems Initiative. We believe that Stanford is uniquely positioned to address the national and global crises of obesity and diabetes that are directly related to the food we eat.
Good Lab
The human gut harbors a diverse microbial community, which performs a number of critical health-related functions. We are developing computational approaches for measuring evolutionary changes within species in complex metagenomic datasets, and for interpreting evolutionary patterns using simple null models from population genetics.
Kuhl Lab
We integrate mechanical testing, physics-based modeling, and machine learning and create interactive simulation tools to understand, explore, and predict the behavior of soft systems. Our most recent interest is to understand and correlate the mechanical and sensory signatures of plant-based and animal meat using automated model discovery.
Covert Lab
We're a scrappy bunch of scientists who like to do cutting-edge research with the latest technology! Our primary biological focus is in host-pathogen interactions, most particularly in terms of the innate immune system, and our technological foci are whole-cell modeling and live-cell imaging. We're always looking for top talent, this could be the place for you!
Food & Global Health
We tackle global health challenges by addressing malnutrition, food insecurity, and unequal access to nutritious diets. Our research focuses on sustainable, evidence-based solutions and strategies to support vulnerable populations. Through global partnerships and interdisciplinary work, we aim to ensure safe, affordable, and nourishing food for all.
Food & Planetary Health
We explore how food systems affect the planet and develop solutions for a more sustainable future. Our research focuses on reducing emissions, conserving resources, and improving how we grow and distribute food. We explore climate-smart agriculture, alternative proteins, and sustainable diets to build a healthier, more resilient planet.
Hill-Maini Lab
We explore the potential of filamentous fungi for food and sustainability applications. We take creative approaches to tackling fundamental questions and engineering challenges, nurture an inclusive environment for scientists of diverse backgrounds, and create tangible solutions for sustainability challenges.
Sattely Lab
We are fascinated by the ability of plants to make many molecules critical to life and think plants are the best chemists on the planet! A central mission of our lab is to reveal how plants use their chemistry to grow into the longest-living organisms on earth.
Brophy Lab
We develop technologies that enable the genetic engineering of plants and their associated microbes to uncover mechanisms of environmental stress resilience and to drive innovation in agriculture for a sustainable future.
Spormann Lab
We exploit metabolism of diverse microorganisms to produce eatable protein directly from CO2 in the absence of agriculture and livestock. We investigate the metabolic and ecophysiological basis of anaerobic, CO2-reducing microbes to produce ‘green’ ethanol and acetate that is fed in a second stage to protein-producing yeast, fungi, or mushrooms to sustainably produce protein.
Mudgett Lab
Our research group studies plant-pathogen interactions, focusing on the biochemical mechanisms that pathogens use to manipulate the plant immune system resulting in disease outbreaks.
Bhaya Lab
We study microbial communities in extreme environments, which serve as proxies for early life and often harbor microbes like Cyanobacteria. These exquisite green machines, like plants, power our planet by fixing carbon through photosynthesis and releasing oxygen, and some even fix nitrogen.
Walbot Lab
Our laboratory is interested in how genotypic and phenotypic diversity is created during the life cycle of plants. We are studying the regulation of Mutator transposable elements in response to host developmental signals and environmental cues as an entry point. Mutator is regulated by its distribution in maize populations, epigenetically, developmentally, and differentially.