As a Professor at Florida A&M University for over 17 years, I have been leading a rigorously funded research program that supports scientific workforce and students in various fields of environmental biotechnology. My mission is to embrace interdisciplinary settings and excel at building highly networked national and international teams to obtain innovative and transformative research-based solutions for a variety of applications. <br> My research is spread over the following fundamental and applied areas: application of meta-omics to better understand microbially-mediated environmental functions, such as bioremediation and biofuel production; host-microbiome associations in health and disease, using oysters and the human gut ecosystem as model systems; and nanotechnology for environmental sensing and remediation. I have also been involved in several entrepreneurial ventures that aim to commercialize the products of my research. I have multiple patents, publications, certifications, and awards in my field of expertise.