My research uses ecological and evolutionary perspectives to explore how the social environment contributes to the development of the infant skin and gut microbiomes. I am particularly interested in addressing variation in early life microbial exposures as a facet of social and health inequities. I received my PhD in Biological Anthropology from Northwestern University, where I worked with Dr. Katie Amato. Currently, I am a postdoctoral fellow in the THRiVE Discovery Lab at the University of Manitoba, where I work with Dr. Meghan Azad.
I hold a PhD in Biological Anthropology from Northwestern University, an MSc in Global Health from Duke University, and a BS in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from Tulane University. I have extensive field experience that includes malaria education and prevention programming in South Africa, global health research in Madagascar, and microbiome sample collection in Mexico and the USA. I previously served as the Assistant Director of the Triangle Center for Evolutionary Medicine, based at Duke.
Let’s get in touch!
Email: mmanus09@gmail.com
Melissa B. Manus, PhD, MSc 