I am currently an Associate Professor in the
Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering and Director of the Microbial and Plants Genomic Institute at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities. I received my Bachelor of Science from Utah State University in Professional Chemistry in 1993, during which time I did two years of undergraduate research at the
Utah Water Research Laboratory, working on projects in bioremediation of hazardous waste sites. I spent six years in industry working in the medical device industry for a company in Ogden, Utah, which makes dialysis equipment and products. While in industry, my job experience included a number of years as an analytical chemist, before spending several years doing research and development in polymer chemistry and process engineering. My various titles included technician, senior technician, research chemist, and finally the fiber laboratory supervisor. I returned for my graduate studies in 1999 and received my Doctorate from Arizona State University in 2003, where I took part in an interdisciplinary program in biophotonics. I did my graduate work in the laboratory of Professor
Wilson Francisco. My thesis focused the study of various metalloproteins. My choice to leave industry and return to school was related to my interest in the biological sciences. I developed skills in molecular biology, microbiology, genome engineering and protein chemistry and engineering. I did my post-doctoral work as a USDA fellow in the laboratory of Professor
Lance Seefeldt in the
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Utah State University. I became a Research Assistant Professor at Utah State University in 2006 and was the Science Operations Manager for the
Utah State University Energy Lab in 2009, before starting my own laboratory at the University of Minnesota. I currently teach courses, manage a laboratory of graduate and undergraduate students and consult part-time for several companies and organizations.
