Dr. Matz received her BSc in Microbiology from Texas Tech University and her PhD from Baylor College of Medicine where she studied bacterial pathogenesis and innate immunology. Specifically, her work focused on using comparative genomics to inform vaccine development for a Tier 1 Select Agent. After completing her PhD, Lisa spent two years at UTHealth as a Postdoctoral Associate studying molecular mechanisms of post-transcriptional gene regulation in E. coli. Lisa is currently a Postdoctoral Associate in Dr. Shelly Buffington’s laboratory studying the gut-brain-immune axis. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, including preclinical mouse models and human clinical studies, Lisa is interested in learning how disruptive changes in bacterial communities and microbially-derived metabolites interact with the host to cause disease, and how these pathways can be targeted by therapeutics. Her current work contributes to addressing important human diseases such as neurodevelopment disorders (autism, ADHD), neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s Disease), and metabolic or inflammatory disorders (type 2 diabetes). Her long-term career goal is to pursue academic research exploring molecular mechanisms of microbiota-driven health and disease to address clinically relevant questions.