Gilliam serves as the inaugural director of the Duchossois Family Institute. Trained as a biochemist, Gilliam focuses on the identification and characterization of heritable mutations that affect the nervous system, including genetic mapping of neuropsychiatric disease mutations and characterization of their downstream consequences. As dean for basic science, Gilliam works closely with Kenneth Polonsky, MD,  Executive Vice President of the University for Biology and Medicine and President of the University of Chicago Health System, to oversee strategic planning and quality control throughout the division and help integrate research throughout the division and the University.

Chang, a leader in gastroenterology, will be pivotal in building out the Duchossois Family Institute’s Clinical Biorepository and Translational Platform. His study of host-microbial interactions of the intestine help us better understand how changes in gut bacteria protect against immune/inflammatory stress or contribute to the development of digestive diseases.

An expert in evolutionary biology, comparative genetics, and gene regulation in humans, Gilad designed, built, and now oversees the High-Throughput DNA Sequencing Core. As section chief of genetic medicine, he heads a world-class team focused on bringing state of the art whole-genome and computational solutions to the most pressing problems in health. At the Duchossois Family Institute, Gilad will lead the development of the Microbial Sequencing and Analysis Platform.

A Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator whose research spans chemical biology, epigenetics, cell biology, bioinorganic chemistry, structural biology, microbiology, and genomics, particularly virulence and antibiotic resistance in human pathogens, He and his team discovered several novel enzymes which edit RNA molecules and their role in protecting against or predisposing to various disease states. At the Duchossois Family Institute, He will direct the build-out of the Medicinal Chemistry Platform.

Grossman is a national expert in bioinformatics, data mining, cloud computing, and data-intensive computing. A founder of the Open Data Group, he specializes in building predictive models over big data. Grossman leads the internationally acclaimed National Cancer Institute Genomic Data Commons and will be invaluable in building out the Data Integration and Analytics Platform. The aim is to grow this platform into a Microbiome Data Commons.

Alverdy has 25 years of experience in complex, minimally invasive, and open gastrointestinal surgical procedures. He has amassed a large body of research on the effects of the microbiome on surgical outcomes, obesity, and many related issues. His clinical expertise and practice will be invaluable in populating the Clinical Biorepository and Translational Platform with a wide variety of samples.

A neonatologist, Claud was recently named as principal investigator of a seven-year, five-institution NIH initiative in Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes, particularly studying the bacterial communities that underlie school readiness. Claud’s team will provide important contributions to the Clinical Biorepository and Translational Platform from pediatric populations.

Crosson is an expert in the characterization of novel microbes and microbial populations, particularly in the molecular basis of bacterial adaptations to the environment. He studies a wide variety of bacteria, from freshwater and soil bacteria to those inhabiting the interior of mammalian cells. Crosson will assist with development of the Microbial Cultivation and Analysis Platform.

Gilbert’s research focuses on the ecology, evolution, and metabolic dynamics of microbial ecosystems. He uses innovative technologies to capture the dynamics in microbial ecosystems and model these interactions, from disease onset and immunology in humans to chemical transformations in plants and soils. Gilbert founded the Earth Microbiome Project and co-founded the American Gut Project.

Jabri, an international expert in cellular immunology, will be key to the design of the Next-Generation Biomarkers and Metabolomics Platform. Her research into basic immunological questions has led to novel insights into the mechanisms of inflammatory intestinal diseases, particularly in celiac disease and colitis.

Volchenboum and his team are critical partners in integrating patient data with scientific discovery and returning those breakthroughs to clinical practice. An expert in high-performance computing, applications development, bioinformatics, and the clinical research data warehouse, his work in integrating data from national neuroblastoma specialists has become an early successful model for disease-specific computational commons, which his team is now replicating for other diseases.