Fermentation Speaker Series

Microbial shaping of arctic foodways: A conversation with Aviaja Hauptmann

We spoke with Dr. Aviaja Hauptmann, an Associate Professor in the Institute of Health & Nature and Head of the Department of SILA (Scientific and Indigenous Teachings on

Fermented Foods, Probiotics, and Lactic Acid Bacteria: A conversation with Maria Marco

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) play a central role in many fermented foods, including sourdough, kimchi, pickles, olives, zha cai, kefir, ogi, and cheese, among others. These

Symbiotic yeast in fermentation: A conversation with Chantle Swichkow

Dr. Chantle Swichkow, a postdoc in Leonid Kruglyak’s lab at UCLA, has been exploring the role of yeast in these symbiotic interactions. By applying her background in mous

Exploring microbial metagenomes: A conversation with Paul Cotter

One way to characterize fermented foods is based on where the fermentation microbes come from: either spontaneously acquired from the environment (also known as wild ferm

Demystifying microbial communities: A conversation with Ben Wolfe

The microbiome of fermented foods, like any microbiome, is a multi-species microbial community and can include a rich mixture of bacteria, fungi, and yeast all in the sam

The future of culinary mycology: A conversation with Vayu Hill-Maini

Along with bacteria and yeast, fungi play an important role in fermentation. We primarily think of Aspergillus oryzae and Rhizopus oryzae, but there are a number of other

In search of yogurt: a conversation with Sevgi Mutlu Sirakova, Dr. Veronica Sinotte, and David Zilber

One of the most well recognized microbes in food fermentation is Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, used to produce most yogurts today. Originally named Bacillu

Dr. Rob Dunn: What can microbes teach us about human history?

Dr. Rob Dunn is an an evolutionary biologist, currently a professor at both the Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics at the University of Copenhagen and in the Department

Dr. Maya Hey: What are the social, rhetorical, philosophical dimensions to studying ferments and (gut) health?

Dr. Maya Hey is a researcher at the Centre for the Social Study of Microbes, based in the University of Helsinki. She has been studying fermentation and health for the pa

Alex Hozven: What can we learn from 25 years of fermentation practice?

Alex Hozven has been fermenting and innovating at The Cultured Pickle Shop in Berkeley for over 25 years with her husband, Kevin Farley. Her experience gives her keen ins

Dr. Joshua Evans: What is the connection between fermentation, flavor innovation, and biodiversity?

Dr. Evans is a Senior Researcher and Leader of the Sustainable Food Innovation Group at the Center for Biosustainability at the Technical University of Denmark. His multi

Dr. Suzanne Devkota: What is the role of fermented foods in clinical practice?

Dr. Devkota is an Associate Professor at the Cedars-Sinai Division of Gastroenterology and the Director of Microbiome Research at the F. Widjaja Foundation Inflammatory B

David Zilber: How should we think about fermentation and health?

In this first talk, David Zilber presents a framework through which to consider fermentation and health research.