Martha Carlin

Martha Carlin is an entrepreneur, microbiome researcher, Parkinson's advocate and systems thinking health educator. She is the founder of The BioCollective, BiotiQuest Probiotics, Ancient Organic Biosciences and Martha's Quest. Her work focuses on advancing microbiome science to improve both human and agricultural health.

Here work bridges citizen science, clinical research, agricultural research, and emerging biophysical models of human health. She has collaborated with leading researchers in microbiology, physics, and medicine to explore new frameworks for understanding conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and metabolic disorders.

Martha’s journey into microbiome science began after her husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, launching a decade-long investigation into the connections between gut health, inflammation, and neurodegeneration. That work has contributed to clinical trials, scientific publications, and new probiotic formulations designed to restore microbial balance.

She is a co-author and editor of More than a Mountain, chronicling a team expedition to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, and she gave a TEDxBoulder talk titled Do Gut Bacteria Predict or Cause Diseases Like Parkinson’s? Her work and writing explore the intersection of science, health, and personal discovery. She spoke at the White House Microbiome Initiative in 2016 on the need for interdisciplinary science to solve our complex problems.

Originally from Frankfort, Kentucky, Martha has lived for many years in Colorado, where the mountains first inspired her spirit of adventure and curiosity about the natural world.