Dr. Sasha Shafikhani completed his undergraduate and doctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. He is currently a Professor and the Director of Microbiome Research in the Department of Dermatology at UC Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Shafikhani has served on the editorial boards of 13 scientific journals and is currently an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Microbiology and Scientific Reports. Additionally, he has contributed to the grants evaluation panels for prominent organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NASA, and various national and international research funding agencies. As a cellular microbiologist, Dr. Shafikhani leads research projects focusing on host/pathogen interaction, normal and chronic wound healing, and cancer biology. His research has been supported by grants from NIH, philanthropic funds, and institutional grants.