Dr. Davida Smyth is an Associate Professor of Microbiology at Texas A&M University – San Antonio. She conducts research with her undergraduate team in the area of comparative microbial genomics and evolution, studyingStaphylococcus aureus from animals and humans. Her research focuses on the role of the built environment and anthropogenic activity in driving antibiotic resistance, a major global health threat. Currently, Dr. Smyth and her colleagues are sequencing SARS-CoV-2 from New York city wastewater samples to ascertain the emergence of novel variants and areconducting experiments on how to reduce virus spread and transmission through the air.