My PhD work at the University of Florida centered on harnessing the extensive biosynthetic potential of microbes for drug discovery. I led 3 projects focused on the discovery of novel secondary metabolites and chemical scaffolds from bacteria, and implemented an interdisciplinary skillset in natural product chemistry to unravel the highly evolved chemical repertoire involved in natural product biosynthesis.

As an undergraduate research assistant I received extensive training in natural product isolation, purification, and structure elucidation. I spent my time focusing on the discovery of small molecules from terrestrial and aquatic organisms from tropical regions and the Antarctic. My training allowed me to gain invaluable experience in the isolation of natural products from bacteria, fungi, and sponges and their subsequent structural characterization through various spectroscopic and analytical… Show more As an undergraduate research assistant I received extensive training in natural product isolation, purification, and structure elucidation. I spent my time focusing on the discovery of small molecules from terrestrial and aquatic organisms from tropical regions and the Antarctic. My training allowed me to gain invaluable experience in the isolation of natural products from bacteria, fungi, and sponges and their subsequent structural characterization through various spectroscopic and analytical approaches including liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), inspiring my course towards graduate studies in chemistry. Show less