“Advances in understanding the microbiome are happening in Chicago where researchers are sequencing the DNA of micro-organisms in the Chicago river to both protect public health and the health of the river. We’re thrilled to welcome this important summit to Chicago, a city that is developing next-generation water technologies to solve local, national and global water challenges.” —Steve Frenkel, Executive Director of Current, Chicago’s water technology accelerator.

“I am really looking forward to learning the results of the Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) and Anaerobic Digester studies. With specialized DNA sequencing such as what is being applied in these studies, the resource recovery industry finally has the opportunity to measure the microbiology much more comprehensively than what has been previously possible. The studies will help the industry interpret results and use this new insight to optimize systems. I believe this will be a game-changer for the industry.”
—Jeremy Cramer, Donohue & Associates.

Professor Jack A Gilbert earned his Ph.D. from Unilever and Nottingham University, UK in 2002, and received his postdoctoral training at Queens University, Canada. He subsequently returned to the UK in 2005 to Plymouth Marine Laboratory at a senior scientist until his move to Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago in 2010. Currently, Professor Gilbert is the Director of the Microbiome Center and a Professor of Surgery at the University of Chicago. He is also Group Leader for Microbial Ecology at Argonne National Laboratory, Research Associate at the Field Museum of Natural History, Scientific Fellow at the Marine Biological Laboratory, and the Yeoh Ghim Seng Visiting Professorship in Surgery at the National University of Singapore. Dr. Gilbert uses molecular analysis to test fundamental hypotheses in microbial ecology. He has authored more than 250 peer reviewed publications and book chapters on metagenomics and approaches to ecosystem ecology. He is the founding Editor in Chief of mSystems journal. In 2014 he was recognized on Crain’s Business Chicago’s 40 Under 40 List, and in 2015 he was listed as one of the 50 most influential scientists by Business Insider, and in the Brilliant Ten by Popular Scientist. In 2016 he won the Altemeier Prize from the Surgical Infection Society, and the WH Pierce Prize from the Society for Applied Microbiology for research excellence.