In my current role I am responsible for the design, execution, analysis, and dissemination of research projects that are a part of my own awarded research grant, as well as one of my mentor's grants. Additionally I author proposals and participate in meetings to shape future research directions. Broadly my research is focused on characterizing and quantifying the constituents of human airway mucus and their contributions to the innate immune defense of the lungs in both disease and in health. Specifically this involves: 1. Isolation, enrichment, and production of proteins2. Biophysical and biochemical assays to identify and characterize proteins3. Quantification of protein-protein interactions My most recent publications examine: 1. The organization of the mucin MUC5AC in the airway and how that organization may contribute to obstructive pathologies 2. The observation that the membrane tethered mucins (a large part of the epithelial glycocalyx) are heavily decorated with the glycosaminoglycan keratan sulfate

Prior work in the Kesimer Lab (Department of Pathology/Marsico Lung Institute) involved studying high molecular weight glycoproteins of the airway surface (mucins): specifically their biochemical and biophysical properties, their interactions with other proteins and how these properties and interactions vary in health and diseased states.Responsibilities included:Experimental DesignProtein Purification (GPC/Ultra-centrifugation)Protein Characterization (Western Blots/Multi-angle light Scattering/ Dynamic Light scattering/Atomic Force MicroscopyProtein layer and interaction studies (QCMD)Documenting/Presenting/Writing/Disseminating research

Past research in the Computer Integrated Systems for Microscopy and Manipulation lab at UNC involved the design, development, and fabrication of a bioreactor to act as a model system to study human bronchial epithelial cells, specifically to study mucociliary clearance. Efforts were focused on developing technologies to:1) Incorporate physiologically relevant parameters into lung epithelial cell culture including:• Designing and developing a bi-layer microfluidics channel for cell culture• Using electrospinning and casting methods to make scaffolds out of biomaterials• Designing a pumping bilayer system to apply cyclical stretch to cell substrates• Designing and building an automated cell perfusion system2) Perform novel experiments to discover the parameters that govern mucociliary clearance including:• Designing and building a tilting microscope to study the effect of drainage on mucociliary clearance• Developing an adhesion assay to investigate biochemical interactions between mucus and the epithelial surface