Matthew C. Bond

My research interests center on surface attached microbial communities, termed biofilms. Biofilms are complex structures often comprised of numerous species of microorganism held together by a matrix of proteins, polysaccharides, and extracellular DNA. I am most passionate about understanding how these complex communities form, how they interact with their physical and ecological environments and the functional consequences of those interactions. My current studies examine bacterial growth on healthcare related materials such as titanium and plastic with the project's goals aiming to better understand medical device associated infections. To answer these questions, we utilize custom microfluidic approaches combined with confocal microscopy to provide detailed spatial information of a biofilms structure and composition.  Aside from my graduate research, I am passionate about space exploration and the development the microbial systems necessary for human advancement into the solar system.