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Earlier this year, �������� Director of Research David Mark Welch was named co-director of the  an interdisciplinary initiative spanning microbial studies in all environments. The center is holding a research symposium on Tuesday, April 16 at the University of Chicago.

Nearly three years after its launch, the Microbiome Center doesn’t have a dedicated office or central lab facility. It doesn’t have a huge budget or grant-official academic titles, but it is staying true to its roots as a hub for like-minded scientists interested in exploring the world of microbes.

When asked if that made it something like a club or a fraternity, , professor of ecology and evolution at the University of Chicago and co-director of the Center, opted for a more academic term.

“Let’s call it a consortium of people who have similar goals,” she said. “It really grew out of a faculty initiative across the biological sciences, physical sciences, Argonne National Laboratory and ��������. We had this unifying theme of trying to figure out what microbes are doing in our various study systems, and that remains a key focus.” .

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