Microbial communities are critical for health, agriculture, industry and the environment. We seek to understand these vital communities by combining ecological and evolutionary theory with experimental work focused on the human microbiome.

Bacteria have evolved an astonishing array of weapons that they use to attack and kill competing bacteria. We study why bacteria have so many weapons and how they use them in competition with other strains.

Microbes cooperate in ways that are important for both disease and antimicrobial resistance. We have helped to identify and explain examples of microbial cooperation and other collective behaviours.

We apply the logic of evolution and ecology to write reviews and opinions on a range of topics in microbiology, host-microbiome interactions and cooperative behaviour.