Professor Emily Balskus

Professor Emily Balskus is a chemical biologist whose research focuses on deciphering microbial metabolism and its role in complex ecosystems like the human gut microbiome. Using chemical knowledge and tools, she discovers new microbial enzymes and metabolites with the ultimate goal of elucidating their impacts on host biology and the microbiome. Emily and her group are known for their contribution to elucidating the structure and mode of action of the DNA damaging gut bacterial genotoxin colibactin, which is linked to colorectal cancer, as well as their work uncovering additional gut microbial metabolic processes that influence host responses to dietary components and medicines.      

Emily is currently the Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Her Her research has been recognized with multiple awards, including the 2019 Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists in Chemistry and the 2020 Alan T. Waterman Award.