email: gleb_pishchany@hms.harvard.edu

To maximize the yield, we typically grow bacteria to huge numbers in media that are rich in nutrients and oxygen. Outside of a lab, however, microorganisms do not have the luxury of unlimited resources and share their habitat with countless other living organisms. As a means for co-existence, microbes form communities made of numerous species that actively communicate, compete, and cooperate allowing for stability in the face of ever-changing environments. Understanding the mechanisms that govern these immensely complex consortia is the primary interest of my research.