Dr. Jack Gilbert shapes global understanding of invisible biological networks as Editor-in-Chief of mSystems and Professor at UC San Diego. His work spans:
Recent Honors: 2025 UN Earth Champion Award, 2024 ASM Leadership Award, 2023 Popular Science Top 10 Innovators
Gilbert's journey began with a PhD from Nottingham University (2002), where he pioneered molecular tools for microbial analysis. His postdoctoral work at Queen's University Canada laid the foundation for what would become the Earth Microbiome Project - an unprecedented global catalog of microbial diversity.
This 2025 manifesto in The Microbiologist positions microbial technologies as essential climate tools. Gilbert argues for engineered soil microbes that sequester atmospheric carbon while boosting agricultural yields. The article details a 3-year field trial showing 18% increased carbon capture in test plots using modified rhizobia species.
Methodologically, it combines meta-analysis of 127 peer-reviewed studies with original computational models predicting microbiome impacts at different warming scenarios. This work directly influenced the microbial solutions track at COP29, establishing Gilbert as a key voice in climate biotechnology.
Gilbert's 2024 appointment to lead AMI marked a strategic shift toward translational research. His inaugural editorial outlines "Three Pillars for Microbial Progress": 1) Standardized data sharing protocols 2) Ethical frameworks for engineered microbes 3) Public education initiatives.
The piece reveals Gilbert's unique ability to bridge academic research and institutional leadership. It introduces the Global Microbiome Observatory Network - 17 research stations collecting standardized microbial data across biomes.
This unexpected 2025 poetry publication in The American Scholar showcases Gilbert's ability to communicate scientific wonder through verse. The titular poem uses marine microbial metaphors to explore human consciousness:
"Tiny architects in brine/build civilizations unseen/their chemical languages older than bone"
Gilbert prioritizes stories demonstrating microbiome connections across fields. A successful 2024 pitch revealed how urban planning impacts sidewalk microbial diversity, affecting asthma rates. Support pitches with multi-institutional datasets.
His work on the Hospital Microbiome Project shows preference for research with clear implementation paths. Recent coverage of phage-based water treatment systems exemplifies actionable science journalism.
Gilbert's Arctic microbiome studies reveal interest in extreme environments. Pitches should identify knowledge gaps - his 2023 series on spacecraft microbial monitoring systems originated from a researcher's conference poster.
The "Dirt Is Good" book project shows Gilbert's appreciation for historical practices. A successful pitch compared ancient fermentation techniques to modern probiotic therapies using genomic analysis of archaeological samples.
His 2022 Lancet paper on microbiome disparities informs current focus. Pitches should examine how environmental policies differentially impact microbial exposures across socioeconomic groups.
2024 Altemeier Prize: Awarded for developing surgical site infection prediction models using real-time microbiome analysis. This work reduced post-operative infections by 37% in trial hospitals.
2023 ASM Leadership Award: Recognized for mentoring 142 early-career scientists through the Microbiome Fellows Program, with 89% of participants securing faculty positions.
2025 Earth Champion Award: Bestowed by the UN Environment Programme for demonstrating microbial carbon capture potential equivalent to 12% of annual fossil fuel emissions.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Science, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
