Thomas M SchmidtProf. Schmidt has been investigating the structure, function and dynamics of microbial communities in natural ecosystems for over 20 years, most recently focusing on microbial communities in the human GI tract. His group helped pioneer the methods fo culture-independent metagenomic analyses and continues to refine and apply these methods to track microbial populations in nature. In 2015, he initiated the Michigan Microbiome project with the goal of elucidating principles underlying the structure, function, and dynamics of the human microbiome. The ultimate goal of this project is to manage microbiomes to benefit human health. His laboratory has also pioneered methods for cultivation of bacteria under alternative atmospheres, including low oxygen environments.
He is full Professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Michigan; committee member at the American Academy for Microbiology and American Society for Microbiology; editorial board member for a number of journals, including Annual Reviews of Microbiology, and was Section Editor on the 3rd edition of Encyclopedia of Microbiology. Read More Read Less