Dr. Robert Glowacki began working at Hope College in fall 2025 after completing his graduate work at the University of Michigan and post-doctoral training at the Cleveland Clinic in the fields of microbiology and immunology.

His research includes understanding how human gut commensal bacteria, specifically Bacteroides, survive inflammatory stress in the intestines. Within this research he has particular interest in the field of inflammatory bowel diseases and the use of probiotics to treat IBD and related intestinal disorders. Further, his research focuses on how our environment, such as the foods we eat and exposure to non-food substances such as microplastics and food additives, impact the gut microbiome. Projects in the lab use bacterial genetics and competition and survival assays using Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron as a model organism. His teaching interactions are through instruction of microbiology lectures and labs.

He prioritizes group-based work in lectures and strives to make the material enjoyable and fun to learn, setting students on the path to be life-long learners. He also enjoys getting to mentor students through one-on-one interactions in research projects in his lab where he gives students the opportunity to gain experience in anaerobic microbiology, molecular biology and bacterial genetics. 

AREAS OF Expertise

• Anaerobic microbiology
• Bacterial genetics
• Bacterial biofilms (focusing on commensal/good bacteria)
• Immunology (focus on intestinal diseases and disorders)

EDUCATION

• Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, 2020-2025
• Ph.D., microbiology and immunology, University of Michigan, 2019
• B.A., biochemistry, Hiram College, 2013

HONORS, GRANTS & AWARDS 

• National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Division Award (NIAID), LRP0000016021 and LRP0000045724, “Mechanisms of gut bacterial strain-level survival in inflammatory bowel disease,” 2023-2025
• Ward J. MacNeal Educational and Scientific Memorial Trust, Distinguished Dissertation Award Presented by the University of Michigan, 2022
• Phi Beta Kappa 
• Omicron Delta Kappa 

PUBLISHED WORK

• “Identification of strain-specific cues that regulate biofilm formation in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron,” with M.J. Engelhart et al., bioRxiv, accepted at mSpectrum, 2024
• “Strain-level antigen variation facilitates immune evasion in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron,” with J.M. Till, O.D. Brock, M.J. Engelhart and P.P. Ahern, bioRxiv. doi: 10.1101/2024.12.20.629425, accepted at Journal of Immunology, 2024
• “The NQR Complex Regulates the Immunomodulatory Function of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron,” with Engelhart M.J. et al., Journal of Immunology, 2023
• “In sickness and health: effects of gut microbial metabolites on human physiology,” with E.C. Martens, PLOS Pathogens, 16(4) e1008370, 2020
• “A ribose-scavenging system confers colonization fitness on the human gut symbiont Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron in a diet-specific manner,” with A.S. Luis et al., Cell Host & Microbe, 1 (27), 2019
• “Diet modulates immune responses by regulating the expression of a Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron antigen,” co-first author with M. Wegorzewska* and S.A. Hsieh* et al., Science Immunology, 4 (32), 2018 *Denotes Co-first authors

Outside Hope

Robert enjoys spending time hiking, golfing and woodworking. He and his wife, Jessica, plan to visit all 50 states and experience all the National Park sites. Additionally, he spends his free time working on wood projects ranging from coasters and clocks to larger furniture including bookshelves and coffee tables. This passion of woodworking was born out of his service work through organizations including Habitat for Humanity and Christian Appalachian Project.