About
Sam Light is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Chicago, affiliated with the Duchossois Family Institute. His research focuses on microbial metabolism and its role in gut microbiota health/disease dynamics, with emphasis on how microbial metabolites influence host biology. He completed his PhD at Northwestern University (2013), followed by postdoctoral training at the same institution (2016) and University of California, Berkeley (2019).
Education:
- Bard College — BA (2008)
- Northwestern University — PhD (2013)
- Northwestern University — Postdoctoral Associate (2016)
- University of California, Berkeley — Postdoctoral Fellow (2019)
Research Interests:
- Microbial metabolic pathways in gut ecosystems
- Host-microbe interactions through small molecule signaling
- Bioelectrochemical activities in bacteria (e.g., extracellular electron transfer)
- Development of microbiome-driven therapies
Recent work highlights dietary and host-derived metabolites' roles in gut bacterial respiration, flavin-based electron transfer mechanisms, and bifidobacteria's role in liver disease prevention. His lab employs biochemical, ecological, and genomic tools to study these systems.
Labs/Teams: Light Lab (University of Chicago), collaborating with the Duchossois Family Institute. Key collaborators include Prof. Cathryn Nagler, Matthew Odenwald, and Eric Pamer.
