Sean Crosson

###Education
B.A., 1996, Earlham College
Ph.D., 2002, University of Chicago
Post-doctoral studies, 2003-2005, Stanford University School of Medicine

###Research
We study the biology of bacteria that inhabit environments ranging from freshwater, to soil, to the interior of mammalian cells. Scientists in our group utilize a cross-disciplinary set of experimental tools as they work to understand how bacterial cells adapt their physiology to survive changing physical and chemical landscapes.

​Our studies primarily focus on _Alphaproteobacteria_ including mammalian pathogens of the genus _Brucella_, the freshwater/soil bacterium _Caulobacter crescentus_, and the marine photoheterotroph _Erythrobacter litoralis_. We also collaborate with clinicians and ecologists on studies of _Bacteroides fragilis_ and other bacteria that reside in the human gut. We are working to understand the contribution of these microbes to inflammatory bowel diseases.

Students and postdocs in the lab develop and drive a diverse set of projects.