Dr. Dantas’s research interests and training lie at the interface of microbial genomics, synthetic biology, systems biology, and computational biology. His current research focuses on understanding (1) the evolution and exchange of antibiotic resistance amongst diverse microbial communities, (2) on engineering improved probiotics to treat gastrointestinal disorders, and (3) on engineering microbial catalysts to produce value chemicals such as biofuels.

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I lead an interdisciplinary research and training group of basic scientists, engineers, and clinicians, spanning formal expertise in microbiology, biochemistry, genomics, pathology, infectious diseases, pediatrics, ecology and evolution, systems biology, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, and computational biology. In addition to my research efforts, I am deeply committed to education, mentoring, and training. I am the co-Chief of Research for the Division of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine. I am also the co-Director of the Computational & Systems Biology (CSB) graduate program, have served on the steering committee for both the CSB and Molecular Microbiology & Microbial Pathogenesis graduate programs, regularly teach in 3 graduate-level courses, and have served on over 100 qualifying exam and thesis committees. In November 2019, I participated in the “Maximizing Research Mentoring Relationships Workshop” led by an NRMN-trained facilitator, and I will continue to regularly participate in formal mentor training. Over the past 13 years, I have mentored 17 postdoctoral fellows (12 PhD, 4 MD/PhD, 1 MD), 33 graduate students (including 2 MSTP), 2 medical students, 9 research technicians, and over 100 undergraduate interns. I have graduated 17 PhD, 1 MD/PhD, and 1 MSc students; three are independent faculty, six are in post-doctoral training, one is a K-12 teacher, and eight work in biotech. Six of my postdoctoral mentees have earned faculty positions, and four work in the biotech industry. I am committed to providing a nurturing, well-supported, and actively mentored environment for my team to collaboratively tackle basic science and translational research problems.