Biography

From birth in Pennsylvania, seasons passed

Spent running free where ferns and trees surround.

And though in winter winds my heart froze fast,

For school, I was in Pennsylvania bound.

I perched on giants’ shoulders, learned my craft;

Penn State, my alma mater, ne’er outdone.

And though my friends were warm, cold blew a draft:

My heart still ached for California sun.

I nestled in between the brine and peaks

Found me a mate with whom I sail and climb.

And though I miss the ferns and verdant creeks,

My heart and garden bask in light sublime.

Bright summer, when I fall, you lend a wing,

O from the dark of winter, I did spring.

Research Area

My work focuses on the isolation and structural characterization of bacterial siderophores predicted using genome mining techniques. I am interested in bioinformatics, NRPS-based biosynthesis, the evolution of siderophores.