Skills
Below is a high-level overview of the technical, analytical, and collaborative skills that shape my work. Each section links to more detailed descriptions of specific methods, workflows, and areas of expertise.
Protein Production & Structural Biology
I specialize in producing and analyzing challenging proteins, including membrane proteins, metalloproteins, multi-subunit assemblies, and oxygen-sensitive enzymes. My work combines advanced expression strategies with biochemical and biophysical methods to deliver high-quality material for mechanistic and structural studies.
Key capabilities
- Expression and purification of difficult targets (membrane proteins, metalloproteins, multi-protein complexes)
- Host and strain optimization in E. coli, Bacillus subtilis, yeast, and anaerobic systems
- Construct design (domain boundaries, tags, signal peptides) and expression screening
- Detergent and lipid screening, anaerobic workflows, and biophysical quality control (e.g. F-SEC)
- Biochemical assays for metal handling, ion transport, and enzyme mechanisms
- Preparation of monodisperse, high-purity samples for crystallography and other structural methods
Synthetic Biology & Metabolic Engineering
I rebuild and redesign biological pathways in living cells, focusing on systems that are difficult to express or assemble in their native form. This includes engineering heterologous hosts to support complex processes such as nitrogen fixation, metal homeostasis, and energy-transducing reactions.
Key capabilities
- Reconstruction and simplification of multi-gene pathways in E. coli and yeast
- Engineering strains to support metal-dependent, oxygen-sensitive, or energetically demanding processes
- Promoter and RBS tuning, operon design, and coordinated multi-gene expression
- Design and use of reporter systems to monitor pathway function and cellular state
- Integration of phylogenetic and structural insights into pathway and strain design
- Transferring complex phenotypes (e.g. nitrogen fixation) into non-native hosts
Computational Analysis, Bioinformatics & Phylogenetics
I use computational tools to guide experimental design, analyze evolutionary relationships, and interpret complex biochemical data. My work integrates sequence analysis, phylogenetics, and structural modeling to identify functional motifs, predict stability, and generate hypotheses that shape downstream experiments.
Key capabilities
- Phylogenetic analysis of protein families (MAFFT, IQ-TREE, RAxML)
- Comparative genomics and large-scale mining of homologs
- Identification of evolutionary relationships, conserved residues, and ancestral features
- Homology modeling, structure-guided design, and mutational prediction
- Custom Python tools for sequence curation, BLAST automation, and data filtering
- High-quality data visualization for phylogenetic trees, structures, and biochemical datasets
Scientific Leadership, Communication & Collaboration
I have experience leading research directions, managing laboratory operations, and coordinating multidisciplinary collaborations. I prioritize clear thinking, structured problem-solving, and effective communication — both in writing and when mentoring others.
Key capabilities
- Planning and executing multi-step research programs with shifting technical constraints
- Setting up and managing laboratory spaces, equipment procurement, budgeting, and logistics
- Mentoring students and junior researchers in experimental design and troubleshooting
- Cross-disciplinary collaboration across biochemistry, microbiology, structural biology, and evolution
- Writing clear scientific documents: manuscripts, proposals, reports, and technical summaries
- Communicating scientific concepts to both expert and non-specialist audiences