I am interested in the forces and energetics between various biomolecules. Protein interactions with lipid membranes (like the ones in the banner above) are fundamental in biology! More than 30% of all proteins expressed in cells interact with membranes in some way, and these proteins are the targets of roughly half of all drugs.  Despite this, it is challenging to study them in a manner that bridges the protein's structure with its function. This lab is interested in applying physics-based techniques to probe the energetics and kinetics of peptide-lipid interactions.

We study these systems using a unique tool called the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). The concept resembles a record player. Much like how a needle glides across the record to get a signal output (sound), AFM uses a very sharp cantilever tip to raster over a biological surface.  In addition, you can also treat the AFM tip like a fishing rod. If you chemically modify the tip with a molecule of interest, you can probe the forces between individual biomolecules in real time!