My core interests lie in applying protein engineering toward breaking down barriers to neuropharmacological research and development. My skill set spans the full length-scale of organismal biology from single molecule imaging to in vivo mouse behavior. Within this range I have experience in whole-cell patch clamp slice electrophysiology; mouse electroencephalography (EEG); transgenic mouse husbandry; mouse behavioral models including in vivo ethanol consumption, locomotor, and rotarod assays; extensive microscopy experience including confocal fluorescence, bioluminescence, single molecule fluorescence, and differential interference contrast (DIC); protein engineering including optogenetic, biosensor, and split enzyme complementation assay development; protein expression and purification in E. coli and SF9 cells; spectroscopy including UV/Vis and circular dichroism; assay development in the areas of animal behavior, cellular signaling and molecular function; molecular biology including gibson and quikchange cloning, DNA ligations, expression, and purification. These broad experiences make me well-suited for dynamic environments where biochemists, pharmacologists, and neuroscientists are working together. Regarding leadership, I have 10+ years of mentoring younger scientists, who have gone on to academia, medical school, and industry. I ascribe to the methods of Cohen & Cohen ("Lab Dynamics", Third Edition, 2018) wherein, within the constraints of the position, I do my best to customize and connect the work to the mentee's own motivations and career goals. I also follow their use of de-escalatory language as part of my approach pro-actively prevent and manage conflict, and use their 2:1 rule for positive feedback.