Meet the Microbiologist

Xiaonan Lu, Ph.D., Professor and Ian & Jayne Munro Endowed Chair in Food Safety at McGill University, Tier-1 Canada Research Chair in Food Safety and Editor in Chief of ASM Food Microbiology, discusses bacterial dormancy in foodborne pathogens and the challenges it creates for detection and food safety. He highlights advances in genomics, nanosensors, single-cell analysis and AI, and shares his vision for the future of food microbiology research. Understanding Bacterial Dormancy Drawing from his own multidisciplinary training, Lu's lab brings together engineering, chemistry, genomics and molecular microbiology to better understand foodborne pathogens. Through technologies such as microfluidics, optical tweezers and single-cell RNA sequencing, his team studies bacterial dormancy, a survival strategy that allows pathogens to withstand environmental stressors (e.g., temperature changes, desiccation, sanitizers and others) and evade conventional detection methods. He shares emerging findings from experiments with Camplyobacter jejuni—one of the leading causes of contamination-induced diarrhea in humans—indicating that dormancy may involve an intermediate state between persister and viable-but-nonculturable (VBNC) cells. Improving Food Safety Detection Detecting pathogens in food is rarely straightforward, and it can be difficult to separate a signal from biological and chemical noise. Lu examines how complex food matrices, low pathogen levels and competing microbial communities can complicate recovery and testing efforts. He discusses promising approaches for improving detection, including antibody- or aptamer-based separation methods, selective molecular assays and the growing use of whole-genome sequencing to trace contamination sources. The Future of Food Microbiology Looking ahead, Lu explores how AI could help unlock insights from existing datasets, predict food shelf life from image analysis and potentially identify early signals of disease outbreaks. He also highlights opportunities to leverage microbes for healthier foods, reduced waste and more sustainable food systems, while emphasizing the importance of curiosity, collaboration and openness to new technologies. About ASM Food Microbiology As Editor in Chief, Lu shares the vision for ASM Food Microbiology as a dedicated home for food microbiology research. The journal encompasses topics ranging from food safety and fermentation to sustainability, beneficial microbes, AI and precision fermentation, providing a platform for both established and emerging areas of the field.  Subscribe to Meet the Microbiologist on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, RSS or by email. Links for This Episode: Learn More About ASM Food Microbiology Take the MTM listener survey!

John Warhol, Ph.D., blends his Periodic Table of Microbes with rock music, movies, and state-microbe petitions to bring microbes' most unforgettable stories to light. Watch this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZYEBfo4nHc

Stanley Malloy and Jack Gilbert unpack how AI tools are reshaping the microbial sciences—from genomics and microbial communities to manuscripts, peer review and publishing ethics—highlighting AI's power, potential and pitfalls for public trust in science. Episode Links: JMBE Collection: Practical and Positive Uses of AI in STEM Education MtM Survey: asm.org/mtmsurvey

Glen McGugan, Ph.D., Director of ASM's Mechanism Discovery Unit, discusses how curiosity‑driven research—from parasite virulence to CRISPR and complex microbial systems—drives tomorrow's breakthroughs.  Ashley's Biggest Takeaways Mechanism discovery,encompasses all of the foundational basic research across the microbial sciences and is essential for all advances in microbial science. Many transformative technologies (e.g., CRISPR) originated from curiosity-driven, basic research rather than immediate practical goals. McGugan's experience as a Program Officer at NIH provided him with a broad perspective on the research pipeline, from basic science to clinical trials, and highlighted the importance of supporting early-career scientists. Developing therapeutics for parasitic diseases is particularly challenging due to complex life cycles and limited financial incentives for pharmaceutical companies; much of the progress relies on government and philanthropic funding. ASM's Mechanism Discovery Unit serves as a neutral hub to convene interdisciplinary stakeholders, foster collaboration, and advance fundamental research. Safeguarding future breakthroughs in the microbial sciences depends on the involvement of and connections between researchers, policymakers, funders and industry partners to close gaps between discovery, implementation and impact.  

Andrea Prinzi, Ph.D., MPH, SM(ASCP), and Rodney Rohde, Ph.D.,SM(ASCP)CM, SVCM, trace how passion‑driven, nonlinear paths in clinical microbiology led them from hospital benches and public health labs to academia and industry leadership. Their stories converge on a shared mission: to use diagnostics, outcomes research and lived experience to make microbiology relevant, contextual and approachable for patients, policymakers and the broader public. Links for This Episode: View Prinzi's ASM articles.  View Rohde's ASM articles. Volunteer to write for ASM. Take the MTM listener survey!