Raphael H. Valdivia is the Nanaline Duke Professor of Molecular Genetics and Chair of the Department of Integrative Immunobiology at Duke University School of Medicine. His research focuses on understanding how pathogenic and beneficial microbes adapt to their environments and how they influence the physiology of their hosts. The work presented will focus on Akkermansia muciniphila, a mucophilic microbe currently being considered as a next-generation probiotic for various immune and metabolic disorders.