Areas of Specialty
Chemical Biology and Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry
Education
- B.A. Liberal Arts, 2003, St. John’s College, Santa Fe, New Mexico
- B.S. Chemistry, 2011, Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado
- Ph.D. Chemistry, 2015, University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Postdoctoral Fellow, 2016-2022, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Research and Scholarship
Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are essential chemical changes that modulate the structure and function of peptides and proteins. Often these modifications become dysregulated in major diseases including cancer, diabetes, or neurodegenerative disorders, but as these protein modifications transcend the genome, they are difficult to study using traditional biological methods. To address this challenge, our research leverages chemical approaches to investigate the molecular roles of post-translational modifications in disease. In this manner we combine organic synthesis with the cross-disciplinary techniques of chemical biology to develop innovative and creative chemical tools and novel techniques to synthesize and study PTMs of peptides and proteins. Our goal is to advance our collective understanding of PTMs, and ultimately provide new starting points for therapeutics.