Research in my lab focuses on understanding the mechanisms whereby interspecies interactions —observed in communities living on surfaces (i.e., polymicrobial biofilms)— impact the pathogenesis of bacterial-based mixed species infections. 

To study these polymicrobial biofilms, we use approaches including in vitro co-culture systems, bacterial genetics, and molecular screens to pinpoint the molecular mechanisms driving the recalcitrance of these communities observed during chronic infection (e.g., chronic airway infections in people with cystic fibrosis, chronic wounds, etc.).