Research Interests:

I am interested in the regulation of virulence in Staphylococcus aureus, specifically in in vivo infection scenarios. My current focus is on the role that small RNAs play in controlling this process. I aim to understand how these sRNAs contribute to S. aureus pathogenicity by using clinical isolates to explore cystic fibrosis and chronic wound infection dynamics.
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I grew up in Nashville TN, and then moved to Winston Salem NC where I received my BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Wake Forest University. There, I was a member of the Floge lab studying how marine viruses manipulate cyanobacteria metabolism. I then received my MS in Microbiology at the University of South Florida Tampa in the Shaw lab where my thesis was on the characterization of a TetR family protein contributing to the global regulation of virulence in Staphylococcus aureus.