Microbial communities impact all aspects of the world in which we live, and our relationships with surrounding microbial populations can have negative and positive impacts on the survival of both. The development of molecular biology techniques (PCR, metagenomics, biomarkers, and biosensors) has resulted in an explosion of new methods and strategies to generate quantitative insight into microbial community dynamics. This opportunity focuses on the development of new device technologies (microfluidic enclosures, environmental control, and imaging capabilities) to manipulate external cues and monitor the feedback mechanisms within complex microbial communities and between microbes and the environment or host organism in which they persist and thrive.