Drew
PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Expertise
Biochemistry, Chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology
Project ideas
Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.
Comparing Biosynthesis of Different Natural Products
Natural products are very diverse, but many share common families of enzymes in their biosynthetic gene clusters and thus are synthesized similarly. Comparing and contrasting the biosynthetic mechanisms of various natural products can elucidate commonalities as well as the differences that leads to their diversity.
Investigating Mechanisms of Action of Potential Antibiotics
We know that antibiotics kill harmful bacteria that make us sick, but how exactly do the antibiotics that we take actually enter and bind to cellular targets, stopping infection? Why does a certain antibiotic kill certain types of bacteria, but not others? Through a genetic engineering approach, we can investigate how many antibiotics are responsible for killing certain types of bacteria.