Vaughn Cooper

Associate Professor
Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics University of Pittsburgh

http://www.mmg.pitt.edu/lab/cooper-lab
vaughn.cooper@pitt.edu

Research Summary:

We study how bacteria evolve in various environments and hosts, focusing on the heterogeneous, surface-associated communities known as biofilms. For example, we ask:

1. How does environmental structure influence evolutionary dynamics?
2. How do biofilms promote synergistic ecological interactions or cooperation?
3. Rapid evolution in biofilms enables students to learn evolution by hands-on experimentation. How do we deliver this broadly in high schools?