Grand Challenges: Microbiome Sciences
Grant Type: Impact Award
Topics: Global Health and Climate Change
Colleges Represented: CMNS, AGNR, ENGR
When Physics and Math Go Viral
September 26, 2025
A Pathogen Is Persisting in Infant Formula. UMD Researchers Found Genetic Clues to Explain Why
July 11, 2025
Yarwood Helps Lead UMD Microbiome Sciences Initiative
June 30, 2025
Fellowship Program Builds Bridges in Microbiome Sciences
June 20, 2025
UMD Microbiome Initiative Co-Hosts Mid-Atlantic Microbiome Meetup
March 31, 2025
Unlocking the Secret Carbon Storage in Soil
March 31, 2025
Designing A Drug to Prevent Preterm Birth
March 28, 2025
Building Systems to Support More Powerful Real-Time Health Monitoring
February 11, 2025
Detecting Troubling Gastrointestinal Conditions Earlier With Ingestible Capsules
December 16, 2024
FDA-Funded Study Could Lead to Advances in Fight Against Endometriosis
September 20, 2024
Hall Receives $3.5M in Federal Funding for Innovative Gut Microbiome Research
September 11, 2024
Safeguarding Our Salads From the Roots Up
August 29, 2024
The New Frontier of Microbiome Science: Computational Challenges and Solutions
April 12, 2024
September 9, 2025
MicroSocial Seminar Series
Location: IRB 4105
Speaker: Raunak Dey, Ph.D. student, Physics
Talk: "Learning Microbial and Viral Traits From Dynamics"
Speaker: Claire Barlow, Ph.D. student, Global Environmental & Occupational Health
Talk: "Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Isolated From Homes Impacted by Sewage and Flooding Events"
September 23, 2025
Microbiome Sciences Invited Speaker Series:
Speaker: CS Raman, Ph.D., University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Pharmacy
3:30 p.m., Biosciences Research Building 1103
October 7, 2025
MicroSocial Seminar Series
3:30 p.m., Biosciences Research Building 1103
Speakers:
Erin Harrelson, Ph.D. student, Nutrition and Food Science
Nakia Fallen, Ph.D. student, Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics
Complex microbial communities (known as microbiomes) inhabit virtually every part of our planet—from ocean depths to mountaintops, across vegetation surfaces, within agricultural soil, and both on and within all living creatures. The Microbiome Sciences initiative joins faculty, postdoctoral scholars and graduate students from across the University of Maryland in pursuit of a deeper understanding of complex microbial communities, and how those microbiomes interact with each other and with our ecosystem.
The initiative will conduct transformative research, develop new technologies, advance microbiome science, and translate microbiome science into innovative interventions and economic growth. Its three-part mission includes:
- Advancing cutting-edge and transformative interdisciplinary research in microbiome sciences.
- Training future generations of scientists and helping develop a regional workforce with strong expertise in microbiome sciences.
- Supporting the development of a regional innovation ecosystem that contributes to economic growth in microbiome-related industries within Maryland.
Team Members:
![]() PI: Mihai Pop (CMNS), Professor and Director, Institute for Advanced Computer Studies |
![]() Mostafa Ghanem (AGNR), Assistant Professor, Veterinary Medicine |
![]() Birthe Kjellerup (ENGR), Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering |
![]() Shirley Micallef (AGNR), Professor, Plant Science and Center for Food Safety and Security Systems |
![]() Brantley Hall (CMNS), Assistant Professor, Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics |
![]() William Bentley (ENGR), Robert E. Fischell Distinguished Professor, Director, Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices, and Director, Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute |
![]() Reza Ghodssi (ENGR), Professor, Herbert Rabin Distinguished Chair in Engineering |
![]() Katharina Maisel (ENGR), Assistant Professor, Bioengineering |
![]() Stephanie Yarwood (AGNR), Associate Professor, Environmental Science and Technology |
![]() Ryan Blaustein (AGNR), Assistant Professor, Nutrition and Food Science |
![]() Hannah Zierden (ENGR), Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering |
![]() Margaret Slavin (AGNR), Associate Professor, Nutrition and Food Science |
![]() Diana Obanda (AGNR), Assistant Professor, Nutrition and Food Science |
![]() Gabi Steinbach (CMNS), Program Coordinator and Associate Research Scientist |
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![]() Monika Proszkowiec Weglarz, Molecular Biologist, USDA |
![]() Jude Maul, Research Ecologist, USDA |
Partnerships:
Mid-Atlantic Microbiome Meet-up (M3) Consortium