Utilizing culture-dependent approaches, this research stream aims to identify novel antimicrobial compounds from soil microorganisms through systematic isolation and characterization of culturable bacteria. This stream will use selective enrichment techniques, high-throughput screening against ESKAPE pathogens, and bioassay-guided fractionation to isolate active compounds. Students working in this stream will learn general microbiology and molecular biology lab techniques in the context of clinically relevant antibiotic discovery projects.