I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  I received my B.Sc. in chemistry from Colorado State University in 2007 while doing research under the supervision of Prof. Eugene Chen. I then became a member of the Bazan research group in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Current Research

My research involves the design, fabrication, and implementation of conjugated organic materials for specific optical and electronic applications. Work to date has focused primarily on modification of the optoelectronic properties of membranes via a certain class of amphiphilic oligoelectrolytes that spontaneously insert into lipid bilayers. These molecules exhibit photophysical behavior that is highly sensitive to their surroundings and can also facilitate charge transfer across membranes that are otherwise insulating.  We have applied these compounds to fluorescence imaging of a variety of living systems including bacteria, fungi, and mammalian cells, and have also utilized them to facilitate electronic interaction between microorganisms and electrodes in bioelectronic systems such as microbial fuel cells and bioelectrochemical cells.