Welcome to the Forum, Mike.
I'm located in Washington State not far from Seattle. There are several of us from this area: Boofer, Al Lewis, Soseattle, etc. Since you are a microbiologist (I have a degree in Chemical Engineering) you might want to get a copy of Caldwell's
Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking. Find it on Amazon. It goes into the science and technology of cheese making and brings in the
importance of controls like pH meters. There is a lot of information there on cultures, yeasts, bacteria and the like that you'll "eat up" like most do on the Sunday morning sports page.
Rikki Carrol has made great contributions to our craft but pitches her appeal mostly to people somewhat less serious than those who hang around here.