Marie Arrieta

Dr. Marie Arrieta serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. She holds full membership in the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases and Inflammation Research Network, and serves as Child Health & Wellness Researcher at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute. Her research program bridges clinical studies and experimental animal work to investigate gut microbiome interactions with infant development.

• Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine, University of Alberta (2011)
• M.Sc. in Physiology, University of Alberta (2005)
• B.Sc., University of Costa Rica (2001)

Dr. Arrieta's research centers on early-life gut microbiome interactions with immune, metabolic, and neurological development. Her translational approach characterizes microbial dysbiosis associated with asthma, obesity, and stress dysregulation using birth cohort studies and mouse models. As a prominent science communicator, she authored the best-selling book Let Them Eat Dirt and contributes to documentary projects exploring microbiome science. She participates in three major university strategic initiatives: Brain and Mental Health (2015-2021), Child Health and Wellness (2020-2025), and Infections, Inflammations and Chronic Diseases (2015-2021).

Analysis of her recent publications (2023-2025) reveals consistent focus on microbiome maturation trajectories, with particular emphasis on fungal-bacterial interactions (mycobiome), stress-axis perturbations, and metabolic programming. Her work increasingly examines inter-kingdom dynamics and behavioral outcomes, demonstrating evolution from foundational dysbiosis studies toward causal mechanisms and translational applications. Key trends include antibiotic impacts, maternal stress effects, and nutritional interventions targeting microbiome-mediated disease pathways.

Dr. Arrieta actively mentors graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the Arrieta Lab, which includes PhD candidates Fatimoh Kasaba and Emily Mercer, MSc student Kaetlyn Phillips, and multiple postdoctoral associates. Her research program receives substantial institutional support through university strategic initiatives and likely external funding from Canadian health research agencies, though specific grants aren't detailed in the profile.

The Arrieta Lab maintains active collaborations across multiple research networks, including the BLOOM Clinical Study investigating early-life microbiome development. Lab operations include dedicated research staff managing gnotobiotic facilities for mouse studies and clinical sample processing for birth cohort analyses. Current projects focus on microbial transplantation, fungal-bacterial interactions, and microbiome-based interventions for developmental disorders.