Microorganisms inhabit nearly every environment and represent the vast majority of genetic and functional diversity on Earth. As such, they play critical roles in every major ecosystem, ranging from biogeochemical cycles and agricultural processes to human and animal health and disease.The Centre for Microbiome Research (CMR) develops novel culture-independent molecular approaches and bioinformatics tools to answer important questions about the role of microbial communities in human and environmental health. The centre is co-located within the Translational Research Institute and the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).