I began my career as an intern in the pharmaceutical industry developing new drugs for the treatment of viral diseases. After returning to Penn State I had the opportunity to work in the Weinreb group investigating the total synthesis of biologically active natural products. In 2003 I moved to Colorado State University where I studied the biosynthesis and total synthesis of the plant-derived secologanin alkaloids.
During graduate school I had the opportunity to teach at CSU and several local community colleges and my career made an abrupt turn toward teaching. After finishing my Ph.D. and an intense two year teaching position at Colorado College I moved to Red Rocks. The student-focused environment, small class sizes (I shared some of my classes at Penn State with 1900 other students), the diverse student body, and the proximity to the mountains of Colorado make Red Rocks an ideal setting for me.