Research Interest:
My research interests center around using molecular-based approaches to understand how bacteria affect ecosystem and human health. We are using these approaches to examine:
 

1. How bacteria communicate and coordinate gene expression by exploring the diversity of genes involved in bacterial cell density dependent gene regulation and how these processes affect microbial community functional diversity in numerous ecosystems.
2. The potential of using novel nanotechnology-based therapeutics as an alternative to traditional antibiotic treatment of infectious bacterial infections.
3. How society is impacting the adaptation and evolution of microbial pathogens in coastal ecosystems.
4. The use of state-of-the-art DNA sequencing technologies to explore the metagenomes/metatranscriptomes of marine stromatolites and hypersaline microbial mats.
5. The molecular mechanisms of biofuel production by complex microbial communities.