Biography

David Rowley obtained his PhD at the University of California – San Diego where he carried out research on antiviral secondary metabolites produced by marine microorganisms and plants.   Since 2001, he and his students at the University of Rhode Island have investigated natural products from both the marine and terrestrial environments as new tools to combat infectious diseases.  David’s current research interests include molecules that can prevent and disrupt microbial biofilms, compounds that interfere with cell-cell communication in bacteria, methods to combat antibiotic resistance, and molecules that mediate interactions between marine microbes.  David is a co-founder of the Probiotics Working Group at URI and is actively involved in the discovery and development of probiotic bacteria to limit the spread and impact of marine diseases.