The Smillie Lab uses systems approaches to understand the mechanisms of host-microbiome interactions. Our research interests are broad, spanning mucosal immunology, microbiome evolution and ecology, and tissue biology, while relying on a combination of computational and experimental methods. The human microbiome has been one of the most fascinating research areas over the past two decades. Mammals and their microbiota have co-evolved for millions of years, giving rise to ancient symbioses that profoundly impact human health and disease. For example, bacterial species have been linked to epithelial cell differentiation (stem cell biology), immune system maturation and function (immunology), and the nervous system (neurobiology), whereas microbial dysbiosis is a hallmark of several diseases.

Prof. Su Qi is a specialist in bioinformatics and fecal microbiome-based artificial intelligence. With several years of experience across gut microbiome and human diseases, he brings a highly skilled approach to the analysis of large multi-omics datasets for clinical and research purposes. He has more than 50 scientific publications with interests in the use and advancement of big data and AI technologies in consumer products and public health. He has developed the world's first non-invasive stool test for long COVID and currently is committed to developing machine learning tools for autism screening and early detection based on the fecal microbiome. His invention has received a series of international recognitions including FDA breakthrough device design and a gold medal from the Geneva Inventions Exhibition 2023.