معرفی
Isabelle Laforest-Lapointe serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Université de Sherbrooke, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Applied Microbial Ecology. Her research program bridges microbial ecology, genomics, and host-microbe interactions across plant and human systems, utilizing next-generation sequencing and bioinformatic approaches to study community dynamics in natural and urban environments.
Education:
- B.Sc. in Biology from Université Laval (2010)
- M.Sc. in Terrestrial Ecology and Biodiversity Management from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (2011)
- Professional Master's in Statistics from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (2012)
- Ph.D. in Biology from Université du Québec à Montréal (2017)
- Postdoctoral Fellowship on the human microbiome at the University of Calgary (2019)
Her research focuses on microbial community structure and function, particularly examining tree-microbe interactions in forest ecosystems and gut microbiome development in infants. She integrates ecological theory with genomic tools to investigate how microbial diversity influences plant reproductive success, ecosystem productivity, and immune system maturation, with notable contributions to understanding urban microbial biodiversity.
Analysis of her publication record reveals consistent emphasis on interdisciplinary methodologies, combining bioinformatics, statistical modeling, and ecological fieldwork. Her work spans microbial community assembly, host-microbe coevolution, and functional trait dynamics, appearing in high-impact journals including Nature, Microbiome, and mSystems.
Scientific Awards:
- Canada Research Chair in Applied Microbial Ecology
As a Canada Research Chair holder, she directs a funded laboratory program investigating host-microbe interactions through genomic and ecological lenses. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes cooperative education and experiential learning, prioritizing student engagement and universal science accessibility. She actively communicates research through her laboratory blog and social media platforms.
She leads a research laboratory focused on applied microbial ecology, with ongoing projects examining foliar microbiome variability in trees, urban environmental microbiomes, and infant gut microbiome-immune system interactions, maintaining collaborations across Canada and Europe.
