Maria Marco, microbiologist and professor with the Department of Food Science and Technology, has been elected to the 2025 class of fellows for the American Academy of Microbiology. 

Marco has been with UC Davis faculty since 2008 and teaches two upper division food microbiology courses on campus. She has built an internationally recognized research program on fermented foods, probiotics and how diet affects microbes in the gut. Her research examines the beneficial compounds these microbes produce and their impact on human well-being. 

"We know a lot about pathogens, like Salmonella and E. coli, but what we're learning is that the microbes, say in a yogurt or a kimchi or sauerkraut, that are needed to make those fermented foods, actually are making a lot of the same kind of compounds that we find to be made by the beneficial microbes in our digestive tract,” Marco explained. “It's a pretty exciting time to be in this research.”

Fellows of the American Academy of Microbiology are distinguished scientists elected annually through a peer-review process based on their significant contributions to advancing microbiology. The academy is a division within the American Society for Microbiology, a professional organization with more than 37,000 members that is dedicated to advancing the microbial sciences through education, research and global advocacy.

“This fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology is particularly meaningful since it's part of the American Society of Microbiology, a society that I've been a member of since 1996, so to be in the academy is really special,” Marco said. 

Christopher Simmons, chair of the Department of Food Science and Technology, said this fellowship is a well-deserved honor for Marco, highlighting her leadership and the impact of her work.

“The work of Professor Marco and her team to deliver novel, impactful insights regarding the role of fermented foods in modulating the biochemical environment of the gut is demonstrative of her outstanding and highly productive research program, and builds upon her strong record of method development, microbial ecology analysis and clinical discovery in food microbiology,” Simmons said.

Learn more about the 2025 class of fellows here.