Academic research is the primary resource for basic scientific research in the United States and is funded primarily by public taxes. Federal budget cuts and sequestration has limited funding sources for academic researchers, reducing the number of scientists and projects in academic research. Academic research directly benefits public health and policy and provides the foundation for further research and drug development by private companies and industry.  Here’s a snapshot of your tax dollars at work.

Bio: I received my B.S. in Genetics at the University of Georgia in 2004 and my Ph.D. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Emory University in 2010.

My undergraduate and doctoral research interests and training have primarily revolved around RNA regulation in the model bacterial organism,Escherichia coli. My previous training has provided me with a strong foundation in genetics and regulation, utilizing genetic, biochemical and molecular biological techniques. My undergraduate research in Dr. Sidney Kushner’s lab in the Department of Genetics at the University of Georgia involved characterizing RNA degradation in Escherichia coli.

My dissertation studies were conducted in Dr. Tony Romeo’s lab in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Emory University. To expand our knowledge of the global role of the RNA binding protein, CsrA, in E. coli, we embarked on an extensive study detailing the interactions between two complex regulatory systems, the Csr and stringent response systems.

From 2010 until 2012, I trained as a postdoctoral fellow in Justin Gallivan’s lab in the Department of Chemistry at Emory University. Here, my research focused on reprogramming bacteria to perform complex tasks, such as recognize, move toward and degrade the neurotoxin, paraoxon.

Currently, I’m a postdoctoral fellow in Shonna McBride’s lab in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Emory University. My research focuses on elucidating the genetic pathways that regulate spore formation in the gastrointestinal pathogen Clostridium difficile.