Research Interest: The viruses that prey on bacteria, called bacteriophages (or phages), have profound effects across the biosphere. In humans, bacteria harboring specific phages are the etiological agents of multiple life-threatening diseases. For example, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, when infected with phage Beta and present in human airways, expresses tox, a toxin-encoding gene found exclusively on the phage genome, leading to the highly infectious, disease diphtheria. For diphtheria to occur, both conditions must be met, the human must be infected with C. diphtheriae and the C. diphtheriae must be infected with the tox-encoding phage. While expression in the case of tox is linked to iron availability, the mechanism of regulation for most phage-encoded genes is unknown. I work to classify phages harboring unique regulatory modules and to determine how these modules are induced in native and complex settings. In the process of performing this research, I hope to discover and apply novel microbiological tools for phage research, and, using what I learn, develop durable treatments for microbe-associated conditions that affect the environment and human health.