Dr. Wiles joined the Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry in the School of Biological Sciences in 2020. Research in the Wiles Lab aims to imagine new possibilities for therapeutically manipulating host–microbe systems to promote human health. A major area of investigation in the Wiles Lab focuses on bacterial viruses (or  ‘phage’), which have a tremendous capacity for shaping the ecology and evolution of microbial communities throughout the biosphere. Dr. Wiles and his group are specifically exploring the idea of harnessing temperate phages as indigenous architects of microbiomes and seek to understand: 1) the molecular decision making and evolutionary forces that govern phage replication strategies, 2) how phage manipulate host cell signaling pathways and behaviors, and 3) the potential for inter-kingdom interactions between phage, bacteria, and animals to incite disease or support healthy symbioses.