Microbial communities provide countless ecological services essential for sustaining life on Earth, and they perform a wide array of functions in biotechnology—from food production to biofuel synthesis. The quantitative functions delivered by microbial communities depend on their composition, i.e. the specific genotypes present and their relative abundances. To engineer microbial consortia that optimize these functions, we must establish a predictive, quantitative link between community composition and function. Yet, developing mechanistic mathematical models to achieve this is exceptionally challenging due to the complex network of interactions involved. In this talk, I will explore how concepts from fitness landscape theory in genetics can help overcome these challenges and lead to the creation of predictive, quantitative models of community function that can guide the optimization of  synthetic microbial consortia.

If you would like to attend the seminar, please register here.