Dr. Kao's research focuses on genomics, systems biology and biotechnology. Her laboratory is interested in using genomic and systems biological tools to study microbial adaptation in various environments. Specifically, Kao is focusing on the use of adaptive laboratory evolution to develop microbes such as yeast and bacteria for enhanced tolerance to toxic feedstock and products and to increase product formation. Her lab utilizes omics tools in an effort to identify the cellular components responsible for the selected traits. In addition to industrial biotechnology application, she is also interested in understanding how opportunistic human fungal pathogens adapt to environmental stressors and how interactions between different species that are co-isolated impact biofilm formation, which is an important aspect of pathogenesis.
