Computational Microbiologist & Precision Medicine Researcher; Associate Professor at University of Minnesota; Co-Inventor of CoreBiome

Minneapolis, MN, USA
Live Event: $5,000 - $10,000 Virtual Event: $5,000 - $10,000 More Fee Info

Dan Knights Biography

Dan Knights is a computational microbiologist and associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and the Biotechnology Institute at the University of Minnesota. Knights develops computational methods for precision medicine using gut bacterial communities, or microbiomes, and applies these methods to the study of human disease. He earned a doctorate in computer science from the University of Colorado and completed postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard Medical School, the Broad Institute of Harvard, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In his multidisciplinary research lab, Knights combines expertise in data mining and biology to investigate how modern lifestyles and medical practices influence microbiomes and contribute to the rise of contemporary diseases. His academic research in computational methods established the use of machine learning on microbiome data. Knights’ work on the human microbiome has demonstrated that immigration to the United States causes rapid Westernization of the human microbiome and that these changes are associated with obesity. An imbalance of gut bacteria, known as dysbiosis, may contribute to obesity, diabetes, cancer, Crohn's disease, and other conditions. However, because each person’s bacterial diversity is highly individualized, identifying when a microbiome is unhealthy remains a significant challenge—a challenge Knights’ research addresses. His lab is developing an informatics pipeline for microbiome-targeted drug discovery, linking nutrition and microbial activity to clinical outcomes.

Knights was part of the team of inventors behind CoreBiome, a University of Minnesota startup that analyzes microbial communities for human health, agricultural, and environmental applications. CoreBiome received the Committee's Choice Award from the University of Minnesota Office of the Vice President for Research and was later acquired by OraSure Technologies Inc. Knights was named to the Highly Cited Researchers list published by Clarivate Analytics, which recognizes researchers with multiple highly cited papers and citation records in the top 1 percent for their field and publication year.

He has co-authored more than 70 highly cited articles in multidisciplinary journals. His work has appeared in Cell, Gastroenterology, and Gut Microbes, among others. Knights has served as director of undergraduate studies for the Department of Computational Biology in the College of Biological Sciences. His honors include the Charles E. Bowers Faculty Teaching Award and the McKnight Land-Grant Professorship from the University of Minnesota. Knights delivered the TEDMED talk "How we study the microbes living in your gut," discussing the link between loss of diversity in gut microbiota composition and conditions such as allergies, obesity, and diabetes, which have increased in prevalence in developed countries.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 10/30/2026.

Dan Knights Videos

How we study the microbes living in your gut | Dan Knights

How we study the microbes living in your gut | Dan Knights

There are about a hundred trillion microbes living inside your gut -- protecting you from infection, aiding digestion and regulating your immune...

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  • What topics does Dan Knights speak about?

    Dan Knights is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Biology, Digital Health, Genetics, Health & Wellness, Professors, Research & Exploration, Science, Technology, TED
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Dan Knights is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics. The estimated speaking fee range to book Dan Knights for your event is available upon request. Dan Knights generally travels from Minneapolis, MN, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Rob Knight, Daniel Dennett, Ben Goldacre, Daisy Robinton and Ofer Levy. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Dan Knights for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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