Slava Epstein is an American academic, researcher and entrepreneur working in the field of Microbial ecology.
As a researcher his most covered contribution is the development of the Isolation chip (iChip) and the discovery of a new antibiotic, Teixobactin.
As a kid he was fascinated with astronomy and dreamed of being a physicist, however due to strict Soviet anti-semitic quotas he was advised to switch to biology.
in marine biology from Moscow State University in 1981 and PhD in microbial ecology from the Russian Academy of Sciences, Shirshov Institute of Oceanology in 1986.
[6] His main field of research is microbial ecology along with cultivation and discovery of previously unculturable microorganisms.