I am interested in the forces and energetics between various biomolecules. Protein interactions with lipid membranes (like the one in the banner above) are fundamental in biology! More than 20% of all proteins expressed in cells interact with membranes in some way, but it is challenging to study them. 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!

Lastly, I am also interested in studying these interactions via computers! Coarse-grain molecular dynamics (CG-MD) simulations can be used to offer greater molecular resolution for experiments performed in the lab.