Caleb D. Phillips

Caleb D. Phillips is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Texas Tech University, where he also serves as Interim Assistant Director and Curator of Genetic Resources at the Natural Science Research Laboratory (Museum of TTU). His research integrates genomics, metagenomics, and statistical modeling to study host-microbe interactions, with applications in chronic wound healing and wildlife conservation.

Education:

• Ph.D. Genetics, Purdue University (2009)
• M.S. Biology, Tarleton State University (2006)
• B.S. Biology, Tarleton State University (2003)

Research Focus: Dr. Phillips investigates how genomic and metagenomic mechanisms drive adaptations in mammals. Key areas include: (1) Determinants of microbiome assembly in bats and humans, (2) Host-genetic influences on chronic wound microbiomes, (3) Post-transcriptional regulation in craniofacial development, and (4) Conservation genomics of Texas mammals. His lab employs structural equation modeling, next-generation sequencing, and community ecology approaches.

Publication Trends: Recent work (2024-2025) emphasizes chronic wound microbiome dynamics, structural equation modeling for clinical predictions, wildlife genomics (bats, bighorn sheep), and metagenomic pipeline development. Studies consistently link host genetics to microbial communities and leverage large-scale clinical datasets.

Student Advising: Mentors five graduate students:

• Craig Tipton (host genetics/wound microbiomes)
• Hendra Sihaloho (bat gut microbiomes)
• Rebecca Gabrilska (host-microbe interactions in wounds)
• Jacob Ancira (microbiome-healing time modeling)
• Khalid Omeir (genomic determinants of infection)

Collaborations & Collections: Partners with the Southwest Regional Wound Care Center and maintains the Wolcott Wound Care Research Collection for microbiome studies.