Dr. Tiff Mak works at the vibrant intersection of microbial ecology, fermentation, and integrated food systems, exploring the connections between living systems across scales—from the tiniest microbes to planetary networks. As co-principal investigator of the Microbial Foods group at DTU’s Center for Biosustainability, they investigate how food and microbial communities shape culture, knowledge, and human experience.
Their research emphasizes storytelling and collaboration, using food microbial ecologies as a lens to connect diverse communities and knowledge practices. Their latest project, Fallowland, is an immersive sensory installation that explores the ecology of rest. Created in collaboration with artist duo Baum & Leahy and Medical Museion, it invites audiences to slow down, reflect, and engage with the rhythms of life and is on display in Copenhagen until September 2025.
Tiff’s work blends science, art, and philosophy, inviting audiences to rethink how we live, eat, and relate to the world around us.
