Johannes Björk is an Assistant Professor at the University Medical Center Groningen, where he leads research on the role of the gut microbiome in shaping immunotherapy response. His work leverages large observational cohorts and integrates multimodal data, including metagenomics, dietary information, metabolomics, and high-throughput immune profiling — to dissect gut microbiota-immune interactions at the levels of molecules, genes, and genomes. Drawing on his background in microbiome ecology and evolution, with prior research spanning hosts from marine sponges to wild baboons, he brings a unique systems perspective to human microbiome science. His approach is rooted in systems ecology: viewing the gut microbiome as a dynamic, adaptive system whose functions emerge from interactions among its components. To uncover predictive features and dynamic patterns in complex multimodal data, he develops and applies methods from Bayesian statistics, network science, and machine learning. His ultimate goal is to translate these insights into microbiome-targeted therapeutics that improve patient outcomes.

• Microbiome ecology
• Longitudinal analysis
• Multi-omic analysis
• System biology