Seth R. Bordenstein

Microbiome Scientist, Evolutionary Geneticist, Educator & Founder; Professor in Microbiome and Virome Sciences

State College, PA, USA
Live Event: $20,000 - $30,000 Virtual Event: $5,000 - $10,000 More Fee Info
Agriculture, Diversity & Inclusion, Education, Environment, Health & Wellness, Philosophy, Professors, Public Health, Science
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Seth R. Bordenstein Biography

Dr. Seth R. Bordenstein is a microbiome scientist and evolutionary geneticist whose research has influenced how biologists understand the relationship between animals and the microbial world. Bordenstein is an evolutionary geneticist and microbiologist in the Departments of Entomology and Biology at Pennsylvania State University. He has studied microorganisms that inhabit animals for more than 25 years, focusing on the essential role of the microbial realm in understanding life. Prior to joining Penn State, Bordenstein served as the Centennial Endowed Professor of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University and was the founding director of the Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center. He has also held positions as an adjunct assistant professor at Brown University and as a postdoctoral researcher and research scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

Bordenstein's research includes several discoveries that have shaped the field of microbiome science. By examining interactions between animals and their microbiomes, his laboratory established the investigative framework for the trend that host phylogenetic relationships often mirror their microbiome relationships, a pattern termed phylosymbiosis. Additional contributions include identifying the genes and mechanisms that germline bacteria, such as Wolbachia, use to influence sexual reproduction—specifically the cifA and cifB genes from prophage WO that cause cytoplasmic incompatibility, as published in Nature and PNAS—and advancing the holobiont biology perspective for the study of life, as featured in Science. His analyses of the human microbiome reveal the effects of human genetics on the microbiome and disease, and his dietary intervention trial demonstrates that social groups, including ethnicity and race, are associated with gut and oral microbiome variation in the United States.

Bordenstein directs the One Health Microbiome Center, one of the largest microbiome centers within the Huck Institutes at Penn State University. With more than 550 members across 42 departments, the center received the WH Pierce Prize for Global Impact in Microbiology from Applied Microbiology International. His research specialties include the use of microbes to control mosquito-borne diseases, the diversity of microbiomes across human populations, and major trends in host-associated microbiomes across the animal kingdom. The One Health Microbiome Center has also received a National Institutes of Health grant to train doctoral students in biotechnological innovation, industry advancements, and interdisciplinary microbiome research.

In addition to his research, Bordenstein is active in science education. He is the former and founding director of the worldwide HHMI-initiated science education program Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project, which integrates biodiversity, biotechnology, and bioinformatics into classrooms. Bordenstein's honors include the Jeffrey Nordhaus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the Chancellor's Award for Research, the Chancellor Faculty Fellow Award from Vanderbilt University, the Genetics Society of America Award for Excellence in Education, the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Endowed Chair in Microbiome Sciences, and the High Impact Research Publication Award in One Health from Penn State. He is an elected fellow of both the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Bordenstein has also been recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate and as one of the World's Top 2% of Scientists by Stanford/Elsevier. His career spans foundational discoveries in evolutionary biology, translational microbiome science, and science outreach.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 04/20/2026.

Seth R. Bordenstein Speaking Topics

  • Life on Planet Microbe: Why We Look Down for Wonder, Discovery, and Impact?

    The influences of microbes on our lives and biosphere have never been more evident to humanity than right now. Pandemic threats, health disparities, vector-borne diseases, and increasing threats to planetary biodiversity are clear and present risks. As we look to the future for rapid and sustainable solutions to 21st century challenges, the keys to unlocking a new set of solutions and a fresh awareness of the depths of planetary life rest in the microscopic realm. The microbiome revolution is underway, and it has been in motion since life arose some four billion years ago. The past similarly has profound implications for everything from life’s origins and major transitions to the sources of evolutionary novelty and the roots of our own species.

    At a pivotal moment in our quest to understand life (including our own species) and solve sustainable challenges, Dr. Bordenstein will engage general audiences in the wonders of microbiome science, ignite their curiosity, and spark critical conversations about the philosophical dimensions and practical applications of the Microbiome Revolution. He will also speak directly to educators and scientists about the relevance and impact of studying and engineering microbiomes to curb vector-borne diseases, prioritize human diversity in clinical microbiome studies, educate the next generation of teachers and students, and enhance several tenets of modern biology.

Seth R. Bordenstein Videos

The One Health Microbiome Center at Penn State (Introduction)

The One Health Microbiome Center at Penn State (Introduction)

We are excited to announce our renaming to the One Health Microbiome Center (OHMC). The Center’s membership has increased to more than 500...

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  • What topics does Seth R. Bordenstein speak about?

    Seth R. Bordenstein is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Agriculture, Diversity & Inclusion, Education, Environment, Health & Wellness, Philosophy, Professors, Public Health, Science

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    Seth R. Bordenstein generally travels from State College, PA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.

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Seth R. Bordenstein is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Life on Planet Microbe: Why We Look Down for Wonder, Discovery, and Impact?. The estimated speaking fee range to book Seth R. Bordenstein for your event is $20,000 - $30,000. Seth R. Bordenstein generally travels from State College, PA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are David Sinclair, Anuli Njoku, Raj Patel, Aubrey de Grey and Renaisa Anthony, MD, MPH. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Seth R. Bordenstein for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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