Research Experience

At Purdue, I worked in a protein chemistry lab researching a class of NADH-oxidases important to cancer, aging, and the circadian clock. While I was deciding on what to do with life after graduation, my PI suggested I get some experience in mass spectrometry because it was broadly useful, interesting, and marketable. I took a job at Abbott Labs (later AbbVie) in Illinois, where I stayed for five years; my research focused primarily on small molecule mass spectrometric analysis of drug metabolites.

Why University of Wisconsin and the Coon lab?

I applied to UW because they have a top-quality biochemistry program, but it was the visit that really sold me on attending. The atmosphere seemed collaborative and friendly. Everyone I met with was really positive about the school and positive about collaborating with other groups—lots of sharing of scientific information.

Most people could not speak more highly of the town. I chose the Coon lab because I wanted to continue to work on MS but also move more towards protein MS to broaden my horizons beyond small molecules.

Currently Working On

I’m working on method development, particularly for large-scale quantitative proteomics. Lately I’ve been doing a lot of work with label-free quantification.