Dr. Justin Meyer

Biography

Justin Meyer received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University as a Departmental Fellow at Harvard Medical School, supported by a James S. McDonnell Foundation Fellowship in Studying Complex Systems. He joined the faculty of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution and the Quantitative Biology Initiative at UC San Diego in 2014. His research addresses some of the most challenging questions in evolutionary theory, focusing on speciation, novelty, evolvability, and complexity. His laboratory, The Meyer Lab, utilizes trackable microbial platforms and synthetic biology to generate new datasets that test evolutionary and ecological theories that were previously untestable. By examining the evolution of Bacteriophage λ to exploit alternative receptors, the lab provides significant insights into host-pathogen interactions. Moreover, their innovative approaches to phage therapy, including the development of 'evolutionary training' protocols that pre-evolve bacteriophages, aim to counter bacterial resistance and resensitize bacteria to antibiotics. By linking theoretical frameworks with practical applications, the lab drives innovation in microbial evolution and phage therapeutics.

Research Interests