The focus of my research program is centered on the identification of mechanisms that allow for bacteria to grow in various environments. I am interested in this area as it relates to both medical and environmental bacteriology. My research interests related to medical bacteriology include determining the mechanisms by which the enteric pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli are able to resist and colonize within the stressful environment of the gastrointestinal tract and also the development of strategies to circumvent their colonization. My research interests related to environmental bacteriology primarily involve the optimization of certain microbial metabolic processes in order to develop efficient biological systems that can be applied to biofuel production.
