Research Interest: Quorum Sensing (QS) links collective group behaviors directly to cell density through the production and secretion of soluble autoinducers (AI).  Detailed studies of multiple QS systems have demonstrated the broad chemical diversity of bacterial AIs, including acyl-homo-serine-lactones (e.g. 3OC12-HSL in Pseudomonas aeruginosa), quinolones (e.g. PQS in Pseudomonas aeruginosa), furanosyl borate diesters (e.g. AI-2 in Vibrio harveyi), and pyrazinones (e.g. DPO in Vibrio cholerae).  Our current understanding of QS mechanics is derived primarily from studying endogenously produced ligands in pure culture.  However, it is apparent that bacteria do not exist in isolation, and this has critical consequences for studying QS dynamics, particularly within the context of infection.  My research focuses on synergistic QS interactions that arise between microbes within polymicrobial communities, as well as with the host.  Metabolic exchange within heterogeneous communities expands the chemical diversity of QS AIs and their further structural and genetic characterization will aid in deciphering the precise mechanisms of host-microbe interactions.