Stuart leads the Oral Microbiology and Microbiomics Group and is Director of Research at the Melbourne Dental School. The majority of his research fits under the umbrella of determining the causes of chronic oral diseases at the bacterial community, cellular and molecular levels. His research has characterised polymicrobial biofilm development and the synergistic interactions of pathogenic oral bacteria and elucidated their roles in the disease-associated, dysbiotic biofilms accreted to the tooth surface or soft oral tissues. The long-term aim of these studies is to develop novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of chronic oral disease.