Robert Nichols

Robert Nichols is an Assistant Research Professor in the Davenport Lab at the Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University. His research focuses on the intersection of environmental pollutants, gut microbiota, and metabolic health. Key areas include investigating how chemicals like chlorpyrifos and persistent organic pollutants impact microbial communities and host metabolism.

Research interests span microbial phylogenetics, microbiome-drug interactions, and bile acid signaling. Recent studies explore the role of bile salt hydrolase in colorectal cancer and the effects of dietary components on intestinal gluconeogenesis.

Publications highlight advancements in long-read sequencing techniques, metabolomics-driven toxicity assessments, and microbiome-mediated pathways. No awards are listed, though ongoing work emphasizes environmental chemical impacts on metabolic homeostasis.

Laboratory affiliations include the Davenport Lab, with research often involving mouse models to study microbiome responses to environmental exposures. Collaborations likely extend to toxicology and systems biology fields.