 In 2009 she became a member of the Microbial Diversity Summer Course at the Marine Biology Lab at Woods Hole and received training in microbial ecology and environmental microbiology.The Balskus lab's research is centered around the human microbiome, which is the trillions of commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic microorganisms that live in and on us.These microorganisms include bacteria, protozoa, and viruses.