About

I never thought poop would be such a big part of my life, but here we are. During my master’s research, I spent way too much time analyzing chicken poop—scooping it, studying it, and figuring out how re-used litter shaped the gut microbiome of baby chicks. It turns out, the microbes in that mess played a huge role in their health, growth, and ability to fight off infections. Who knew that something so gross could be so important? Well, science did, but I had to see (and smell) it for myself to truly appreciate it.

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That was just the beginning. During my PhD, I upgraded from chicken poop to mouse and human poop—or at least, the gut bacteria that live in it. My research focused on how gut microbes respond to different environments, and the more I learned, the more I realized just how much these tiny organisms control everything from digestion to immune health. I’ve spent years analyzing microbial communities, watching them shift under different conditions, and basically nerding out over bacteria that no one ever thinks about but totally should. It’s wild to think that something so small can have such a huge impact on human health—and even wilder that most people have no idea what’s actually living inside them.

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Now, talking about poop is just part of my personality. I’ll casually drop microbiome facts into conversations at parties, much to the horror (or fascination) of anyone within earshot.