Humans and the microbes in and on our bodies (“microbiota”) continuously interact in ways that influence health and disease—ways that we do not yet fully understand. Dr. Crawford, a chemical biologist, focuses on defining the bacterial contributions to colorectal cancer. DNA-damaging toxins (genotoxins) produced by bacteria in the human gut serve as cancer risk factors. He has developed an innovative genomics platform called M-PAIR, which he will use to identify novel cancer risk factors produced by the bacteria in the human gut. His findings will provide a foundation for development of anticancer compounds for cancer prevention and treatment.