Previous Next
1 2 3

Welcome to the Youssef Lab!

Below is a brief description of our research interests. To learn more about any of these topics, click here.

Anaerobic Fungi. Our lab is primarily interested in the ecology, diversity, evolution, taxonomy, genomics, and biotechnological potential of the anaerobic gut fungi (phylum Neocallimastigomycota). This fascinating group of fungi is only known from the alimentary tract of herbivores where they play a key role in plant biomass digestion for the benefit of their hosts.

Environmental Genomics. A large fraction of microorganisms on Earth remain uncultured. We focus on the identification and recovery of genomes belonging to these novel yet-uncultured lineages using culture-independent sequencing-based approaches and bioinformatic analysis.

Freshwater Algal Blooms. Lakes are important sources of drinking water and recreational activities, yet increasingly suffer from eutrophication and incidents of algal blooms. Our research aims to use microbial, chemical, and climatological factors to decipher patterns of bloom occurrence in freshwater lakes by utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning strategies.

News

News

  • International workshop on anaerobic fungal diversity and classification International workshop on anaerobic fungal diversity and classification
    21 Jul 2023

      Dr. Youssef conducted a four-day virtual workshop on various approaches for assessing anaerobic fungal diversity and classification.

  • Meili publishes global AGF diversity survey Meili publishes global AGF diversity survey
    27 Jun 2023

    Recent graduate Casey Meili published a huge project in which she generated and analyzed an amplicon dataset from over 600 fecal samples encompassing 34 mammalian species, 9 families, and 6...

  • New Website New Website
    27 Feb 2023

     Welcome to our new website! This news page is where you will find updates and information about the events and accomplishments in our lab. If you are interested in joining the lab. click here. If...