Funding Source: American Heart Association AIREA (Academic Institution Research Enhancement Award) 23AIREA1051613 – We study two proteins, hERG and KvLQT1, found in heart muscle cells. These two proteins form ion channels, tunnels through the cell membrane that allow ions to … Continue reading Investigations of protein-protein interactions between the cardiac voltage-gated K+ channel proteins hERG and KvLQT1 Faculty

Funding Source: National Institutes of Health 1R15AI160139-01A1 – Despite affecting nearly 20% of infants in the United States, there is no cure for atopic dermatitis/eczema. Some parents feed their infants human milk in an effort to protect the infant from … Continue reading Diversity of human milk oligosaccharide metabolizing genes in two infant cohorts

Funding Source: Wellcome Leap 1kD – Brain structure and function are sensitive and responsive to environmental conditions and individual experiences such as nutrition, gut microbiome, household environment and levels of stress. The main goals of this multi-scale, and multi-modal study … Continue reading A multi-scale approach to characterizing developing executive functions

Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award #2002354 – Phenotypic plasticity refers to the ability of an organism to generate distinct morphological, behavioral or metabolic changes in response to environmental changes. Laboratory and theoretical research has shown that phenotypic plasticity may … Continue reading The molecular basis underlying the evolution of phenotypic plasticity Faculty

Funding Source: Award NSF-IOS 1354608 (National Science Foundation, Integrative Organismal Systems) – Developmental plasticity has dramatic effects on the survival and reproductive fitness of organisms. In many organisms, including humans, changes in developmental physiology initiate dramatic alterations in growth and … Continue reading Regulation of body size sensing and developmental timing in insects

My current research project addresses the anatomical transformation of the shoulder girdle that occurred during the evolutionary transition from synapsid reptiles to mammals. The sternum integrates the head, neck, chest, and limbs, and plays a key role in establishing patterning … Continue reading Sternal transformation and axial patterning at the Synapsid / Mammal transition

Funding Source: National Institutes of Health – The trillions of microbes inhabiting our bodies are essential for extracting nutrients from our food to maintaining the health of our immune systems. There is a growing recognition that the microbiome is directly linked … Continue reading The role of human microbiome on child development

Funding Source: National Science Foundation – As a part of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (hubbardbrook.org), I am investigating how climate, weather and the abundance of insects and nest predators affect the distribution, demography and population dynamics of songbirds in a … Continue reading Migratory birds, insects and climate change

Funding Source: National Science Foundation – Division of Integrative Organismal Systems 1354255 – The plant vascular system is of critical importance for normal plant growth, development and function, yet the mechanisms that govern development of the intricate and beautiful vascular … Continue reading The Role of Patellin1/2 in Plant Vascular Development