In my role as a lecturer at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) I am teaching classes in microbiology. The courses I am responsible for include a non-majors microbiology course, with co-requisite laboratories, major level microbiology laboratories and medical microbiology courses with co-requisite laboratory. Additionally, I am doing research in the laboratory of Dr. Cristian Ruiz Rueda, where we study the role of efflux in antibiotic resistance and metabolism in E. coli, and carbapenem resistance in the environment.

I have been investigating the role of the phage-shock protein (Psp) system in rescuing cells from death caused by the mislocalization of outer membrane secretin proteins to the inner membrane of Yersinia enterocolitica. Techniques used: lipid fractionation and isolation, western-blotting, PCR, molecular techniques, cloning, sequencing, bioinformatics, protein/DNA electrophoresis, protein purification, bacterial culture, protein crosslinking, beta-galactosidase assays

I investigated the contribution of a small membrane-acting peptide, TisB, to ciprofloxacin tolerance in E. coli. Specifically, my aim was to understand the consequences of TisB induction after ciprofloxacin exposure and whether induction of this peptide protects cells from death.Techniques used: PCR, transduction, cloning, western-blotting, affinity-tagged protein purification, flow-cytometry, microscopy, bacterial culture, and protein/DNA electrophoresis, bioinformatics analysis of DNA and/or protein sequences.

Using the novel CCF2-AM based live-cell fluorescence assay I helped to develop, I executed a high-throughput screen of both natural and synthetic small molecule libraries, to identify inhibitors of effector translocation by Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Using these molecules I was able to identify processes and interactions required for the polarized transfer of Yops into eukaryotic target cells. I subsequently characterized how translocation inhibition affected needle/translocon complex assembly of the type-three secretion apparatus, and how perturbations to this assembly affect pore-formation, effector translocation and contact-sensing mechanisms. Techniques used: tissue culture (adherent and non-adherent), bacterial culture, high-throughput screening (small molecule libraries) PCR, cloning, hemolysis assays, eukaryotic cell fractionation, membrane isolation, ELISA, western blotting, affinity-tagged protein purification, chemical mutagenesis, light microscopy, immunofluorescence microscopy, chemical-crosslinking (whole-cells and isolated lipids), immunoprecipitation, flow-cytometry, protein/DNA electrophoresis techniques, bioinformatics analysis of DNA and/or protein sequences, Protein modeling

2006, 2008 – 2010 Laboratory instructor for Medical Infectious Disease Wet Labs, Tufts University School of Medicine2007 Laboratory instructor for Dental Infectious Disease wet labs, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine2008 Small group instructor for Medical Molecular Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine2009 and 2010 Co-lead teaching assistant for Medical Molecular Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine

As a QA brewing technician, I was responsible for chemical anaylsis of the brewing process at several stages throughout. Early stages of the process involve measuring parameters such as pH, density, gravity, etc. Later stages, include analysis of volatile compounds by gas chromatography. The final stages include analysis of alcohol content, gravity, clarity, etc. Additionally, I also performed brewing support jobs, such as CO2 monitoring, shipping technician, and water quality analyses, among others.

As a microbiology technician at Hanford pharmaceuticals my role was assist in maintaining sterility of the aseptic processes conducted there. My functions consisted of environmental monitoring of clean rooms and processing areas for intravenous antibiotics, microbial identification, and water testing.