Research Interests
Our research focuses on understanding and re-purposing the biochemistry of “good” microbes for health and biotechnology applications. This work is powered by the spectacular diversity of microbes and gene products that have come to light in the post-genomic age. Microbial life has adapted to every imaginable environmental niche – from the human gut to the hot spring – by evolving an array of cofactors and protein-based catalysts.
We specialize in metal/cofactor-driven biochemistry at the aerobic/anaerobic interface. This exciting space is critical both for the proper functioning of the human microbiome and for powering environmental reactions that capture carbon dioxide and convert small organic molecules into useful materials. A long term goal of this research is to re-engineer natural reactions for biotechnological and biomedical applications, whether in the flask or in modified microbial hosts.
