Sam Light started as a Neubauer Family Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Duchossois Family Institute in 2019. His research takes a molecular approach to address the role of gut-associated microbes in human health and disease. His interests include determining the role of major metabolic activities on complex microbial ecosystems and elucidating the effect of such processes on a mammalian host. In recent years, his work has focused on the discovery and characterization of an unexpected ‘electricity-producing’ activity that is shared by a diverse set of microbes.
Light received a BA from Bard College and a PhD in biochemistry from Northwestern University. Prior to joining the University of Chicago, he was an NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley.