Dr Christopher Stewart is a Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale Research Fellow and 2021 Lister Institute Prize Fellow at Newcastle University, UK. He gained a PhD in Microbial Ecology at Northumbria University, followed by postdoctoral training at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Texas. He has researched the early life microbiome in health and disease for over 10 years, publishing over 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts. His lab currently focuses on the interactions between microbes and host in the guts of infants born prematurely (<32 weeks’ gestation).