Research Areas

Bacterial Communities and Biofilms

Bacterial communities (Ex: cdiGMP signaling, motility, social organization in biofilms)
Image processing, machine learning, application of ‘big data’ methods
Biofouling
Cystic Fibrosis

Immunity and Antimicrobials

Innate immunity and antimicrobial peptides
Antibiotic-resistant pathogens and antibiotic design
Transporter sequences and cell penetrating peptides for drug delivery
Budding and scission peptides in viruses
Autoimmune diseases (Ex: lupus, psoriasis)
COVID-19: molecular mechanisms for acute inflammation; prevention of viral entry and shedding

Enabling Fundamental Science: Physics, Chemistry, Biology

Protein-lipid interactions and membrane curvature generation (Ex: Apoptosis proteins and cancer therapeutics)
Synchrotron x-ray methods
Physical chemistry of solvation (Ex: femtosecond hydration dynamics of ions and surfaces)
Soft condensed matter physics of self-assembly (Ex: polymers, polyelectrolytes, membranes, liquid crystals, colloids, nanoparticles)

Where We Do Our Research

Links to Research Groups of Former Lab Members