Research Interests: In the Whiteley Lab, we are interested in the social lives of bacteria. Currently, we are utilizing new technologies combined with classical genetic techniques to address questions about microbial physiology, ecology, virulence, and evolution. In particular, we are working on tackling the following questions: 1. How do bacteria communicate? 2. How do polymicrobial interactions impact physiology and virulence? 3. What is the role of spatial structure in bacterial infections? 4. How does the host environment impact microbial physiology?