Microbial communities are critical for health, agriculture, industry and the environment. We seek to understand and manipulate microbial communities by combining ecological and evolutionary approaches with the study of the human gut microbiome.
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Illustration of bacteria at war
Two strains of E. coli using antimicrobial-toxins (colicins) against each other
Our goal is to understand and engineer diverse microbial communities, including the human microbiome. However, this is a challenging prospect because most microbial communities contain large numbers of evolving and interacting species, which makes them complex systems with many moving parts. We break down this complexity by combining ecological and evolutionary theory with experimental microbiology. We study bacterial competition, including toxin-mediated warfare, and seek to understand what it takes for a given bacterial strain to succeed in the human microbiome. We also study the properties of microbiome communities as a whole, including the ability to resist pathogens. In this way, we aim to identify new ways to prevent bacterial disease and reduce the need for conventional antibiotics.
2025
Strain displacement in microbiomes via ecological competition
Bakkeren, E., Piskovsky, V., Lee, MNY., Jahn, MT., Foster, KR.
Nature Microbiology – 10: 3122–3135
2025
Bacterial warfare is associated with virulence and antimicrobial resistance
Sharp, C., Foster, KR.
Nature Communications – 16: 9329
2024
Diverse phage communities are maintained stably on a clonal bacterial host
Pyenson, N. C., Leeks, A., Nweke, O., Goldford, J., Turner, P., Foster, K. R., Sanchez, A.
Science – 386: 1294-1300
2024
Host control of the microbiome: mechanisms, evolution and disease.
Wilde, J., Slack, E., Foster, KR.
Science – 385, eadi3338
2023
Microbiome diversity protects against pathogens by nutrient blocking.
Spragge, F., Bakkeren, E., Jahn, M.T., Araujo, E.B.N., Pearson, C.F., Wang, X., Pankhurst, L., Cunrath, O., Foster, K.R.
Science – 382(6676):eadj3502.
2023
The evolution of short- and long-range weapons for bacterial competition.
Booth, S.C., Smith, W.P.J., Foster, K.R.
Nature Ecology and Evolution – 7(12):2080-2091.
2022
The evolution of spectrum in antibiotics and bacteriocins.
Palmer, J. Foster, K.R.
PNAS – 119(38):e2205407119.
2022
Host control and the evolution of cooperation in host microbiomes.
Sharp, C., Foster, K.R.
Nature Communications – 13(1):3567.
2021
Ecological rules for the assembly of microbiome communities.
Coyte, K.Z., Rao, C., Rakoff-Nahoum, S., Foster, K.R.
PLoS Biology – 9:e3001116
2020
The evolution of the type VI secretion system as a disintegration weapon.
Smith, W.P.J., Vettiger, A., Winter, J., Ryser, T., Comstock, L.E., Basler, M., Foster, K.R.
PLoS Biology – Biology 18,5: e3000720. Video explaining results.
2017
The evolution of the host microbiome as an ecosystem on a leash.
Foster, K.R., Schluter, J., Coyte, K.Z. & Rakoff-Nahoum, S.
Nature – 548(7665):43-51.
2015
The ecology of the microbiome: networks, competition, and stability.
Coyte, K.Z., Schluter, J., Foster, K.R.
Science – 350: 663-666.
Funding success for Dunn School PIs
July 2026
Congratulations to Sumana Sanyal, Matthew Freeman, Georgia Isom and Kevin Foster for securing prestigious Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards.
Emma Slack and Kevin Foster elected members of EMBO
June 2026
Both researchers are leaders in the rapidly growing field of the human gut microbiome.
More than just a food fight: what it takes to succeed in a bacterial community
December 2025
An investigation carried out by the Foster lab sheds new light on life in diverse microbial communities. By capturing the interplay of nutrient competition and toxin warfare, the authors show what it takes to win against neighbouring bacterial strains – with important implications for antimicrobial resistance research.
Opening the doors to the local community
September 2025
As part of Oxford Open Doors, the Dunn School opened its doors on Saturday 13 September to welcome members of the public to the department.