PhD Candidate • Lyon College, Batesville, Arkansas
My current project focuses on investigating protein unfolding and refolding dynamics using atomic force microscopy (AFM). We have developed a novel method for protein attachment to both AFM surfaces and tips, greatly increasing data acquisition and accuracy. We hope to use this new method to elucidate the evolutionary constraints on proteins that use the type III secretion system of gram negative bacteria. My newest project aims to measure the unfolding and potential refolding of听听尾-barrel outer membrane proteins of gram negative bacteria, elucidating if these proteins can fold hairpin by hairpin into lipid bilayers.听