Student
University of Florida
Rufus J. Theophilus is a Ph.D. candidate in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Florida, where he studies the impact of diet on the microbiome and antimicrobial resistance genes in infants. His research is focused on understanding how early-life nutritional interventions can influence the development of the gut microbiome to enhance health and combat antimicrobial resistance. As a dedicated scholar, Rufus has been recognized with several scholarships for his academic excellence, including the George and Ruthana Davis Scholarship and the eDNA scholarship. His recent work includes a study on the survival mechanisms of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis on inanimate surfaces, which has implications for microbial transmission between infants. Rufus actively shares his research findings at major scientific conferences, contributing valuable insights to the field of pediatric nutrition and microbiome science.