Elizabeth Landis

Elizabeth Landis is a PhD candidate who studies microbes (bacteria and yeast) in fermented foods. After completing her master’s degree in soil microbiology, she joined the Wolfe lab at Tufts University. She is collecting and characterizing samples of kombucha tea and sourdough bread starters to explore how the species present in these foods interact and evolve over generations of fermentation. She is especially interested in uncovering the incredible and largely unknown diversity that resides in home fermentations around the world.

Liz started her career in science designing programs and teaching in the education department of a science museum, and continues to be passionate about translating science through undergraduate teaching, writing,  public talks, art collaborations, and post-secondary prison education programs. She keeps a microbiology/gardening instagram (@efizzabeth), where she shares some of her microbe photography.