I am interested in plant-microbe interactions that shape crop microbiomes and influence plant growth. In my research, I am using reduced-complexity microbiomes (synthetic communities) to study how rice-associated bacterial communities assemble and their varying effects on plant growth.

• Edwards, J., Santos-Medellín, C., Nguyen, B., Kilmer, J., Liechty, Z., Veliz, E., Ni, J., Phillips, G., Sundaresan, V. (2019). *Soil domestication by rice cultivation results in plant-soil feedback through shifts in soil microbiota.* Genome Biology 2019 20:1, 20(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-019-1825-x
• Veliz, Esteban A., Martínez-Hidalgo, Pilar, Hirsch, Ann M., *Chitinase-producing bacteria and their role in biocontrol.* (Review) AIMS Microbiology, 2017, 3(3): 689-705. https://doi.org/10.3934/microbiol.2017.3.689