Bacteria are an ancient form of life that occupies almost every conceivable niche, from pathogenesis to commensal existence with an animal host to primary production in oceans and lake. Despite their apparent simplicity, bacteria possess sophisticated biochemical networks that dynamically store information about the size and status of the cell and conditions in the external environment. These biochemical systems allow precise decision making that allow microbes to thrive in challenging conditions. Our lab is interested in the design principles of these reaction networks. We use a multidisciplinary approach: biochemical reconstitution of the underlying interactions, single cell microscopy to study function, and mathematical modeling to rebuild systems in silico. A major focus area is bacterial circadian rhythms, which allow single cells to predict the time of day.
Active and passive crosslinking of cytoskeleton scaffolds tune the effects of cell inclusions on composite structure.
Active and passive crosslinking of cytoskeleton scaffolds tune the effects of cell inclusions on composite structure. Soft Matter. 2025 Apr 28.
PMID: 40289744
Programming scheduled self-assembly of circadian materials.
Programming scheduled self-assembly of circadian materials. Nat Commun. 2025 01 02; 16(1):176.
PMID: 39747896
Two KaiABC systems control circadian oscillations in one cyanobacterium.
Two KaiABC systems control circadian oscillations in one cyanobacterium. Nat Commun. 2024 Sep 03; 15(1):7674.
PMID: 39227593
Timed material self-assembly controlled by circadian clock proteins.
Timed material self-assembly controlled by circadian clock proteins. ArXiv. 2024 Mar 21.
PMID: 36911279
Determining subunit-subunit interaction from statistics of cryo-EM images: observation of nearest-neighbor coupling in a circadian clock protein complex.
Determining subunit-subunit interaction from statistics of cryo-EM images: observation of nearest-neighbor coupling in a circadian clock protein complex. Nat Commun. 2023 09 22; 14(1):5907.
PMID: 37737245
Kinesin and myosin motors compete to drive rich multiphase dynamics in programmable cytoskeletal composites.
Kinesin and myosin motors compete to drive rich multiphase dynamics in programmable cytoskeletal composites. PNAS Nexus. 2023 Aug; 2(8):pgad245.
PMID: 37575673
Fake drugs: Using Baseline Spectral Fingerprinting and a sorting algorithm to infer quality of medications.
Fake drugs: Using Baseline Spectral Fingerprinting and a sorting algorithm to infer quality of medications. PLoS One. 2023; 18(4):e0281416.
PMID: 37099593
Timed material self-assembly controlled by circadian clock proteins.
Timed material self-assembly controlled by circadian clock proteins. ArXiv. 2023 Mar 01.
PMID: 36911279
KidA, a multi-PAS domain protein, tunes the period of the cyanobacterial circadian oscillator.
KidA, a multi-PAS domain protein, tunes the period of the cyanobacterial circadian oscillator. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 09 13; 119(37):e2202426119.
PMID: 36067319
Sustained order-disorder transitions in a model colloidal system driven by rhythmic crosslinking.
Sustained order-disorder transitions in a model colloidal system driven by rhythmic crosslinking. Soft Matter. 2022 Apr 13; 18(15):2920-2927.
PMID: 35343534
Pew Scholar
2014 - 2018