My research sits at the intersection of diet–microbiome–host biology, food microbiology, and antimicrobial discovery. I specialize in anaerobic culturing (culturomics) to isolate single strains, including rare taxa, and then connect genotype to function using sequencing, genome mining, and targeted assays. Translational priorities include microbiota modulation by fermentable fibers, probiotic strain development, and postbiotic/fermentation-derived bioactives that support gut barrier integrity, methanogenic syntrophy, bile acid–lipid metabolism, and incretin/GLP-1–linked physiology. In parallel, I bioprospect novel antimicrobials (bacteriocins), enabling either enrichment for organisms of interest or screening for narrow/broad-spectrum activity with commercialization potential.