We have had a long, long term interest in predatory bacteria; that is, bacteria that pursue and consume other bacteria!  While there are a variety of bacterial predators out there, we focus our student centered research on three:  Bdellovibrio, Ensifer, and Saprospira.  We are particularly interested in the genetics of central metabolism (how the microbes "feed"), their predatory behaviors, their possible role in microbial ecology, and the development of tools to better study these undomesticated microbes.

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Image to the left:  Bdellovibrio attaching to and invading E. coli prey cells. Note the rounded "bdelloplast" formed when the predator enters the periplasm of the prey.