C-MAIKI 

C-MĀIKI’s mission is to perform cutting-edge microbiome research by leveraging the unique ecology, geography and cultures of Hawaiʻi to better understand and model microbiome dynamics. The vision of C-MĀIKI is that our mission can only be accomplished through trans-disciplinary approaches to education and research and through forming strong partnerships within UHM and the community at large. With the acknowledgement that the microbial world underpins the health of humans and the environment, and that these are not discrete entities, but rather sets of nested and interdependent ecosystems we seek to illuminate the diversity and function of microbes across hosts and habitats to understand what constitutes healthy microbiomes.

 

Because the faculty and students involved with C-MĀIKI are trained in fields ranging from biomedicine to engineering to oceanography and ecology we can tackle some of the most pressing challenges as food security, control of infectious diseases, and maintaining ecosystem services. Hawaii provides an ideal backdrop for this work due to its cultural and ecological diversity and biogeography. What unites us is our drive to address these issues here and abroad through understanding the roles of microbiomes in sustaining and creating resilient biological systems. Through these efforts, we seek to exchange the knowledge gained with our peers, community stakeholders and future generations.