For skin microbiome explorer Julie Segre, her quest is more than skin deep

Over time, researchers have uncovered the interaction between humans and microbes, both within our bodies and on our bodies.

In 2013, a research team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) revealed the first detailed inventory of the hundreds of bacteria and fungi living on human skin, including Malassezia and other Candida species. Over two millennia after Hippocrates' initial observation, such efforts are showing the invisible and potent relationship humans hold with microorganisms.

"I call it illuminating dark matter," says Julie Segre, Ph.D., the researcher who led the study and is an expert in the field of skin biology.

Segre has spent decades unfolding the mysteries of these microscopic creatures that call our skin, the human body's biggest organ, their home. Her research has been instrumental in tracking hospital-acquired infections of multi-drug-resistant organisms.

Over the 20 years that Segre has worked at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), her accomplishments and influence have been far-reaching. She is the chief of the Translational and Functional Genomics Branch at NHGRI. Segre was recently named the assistant director of health and life sciences at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where she is working on pandemic preparedness and antimicrobial resistance.

NHGRI science writer Prabarna Ganguly spoke with Segre about her research career, what makes microbes so complex and her roles in science policy and anti-harassment campaigns.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.