PhD Candidate

School of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Georgia Institute of Technology

Email: amsj3@gatech.edu

MS Chemistry, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA

BS Chemistry, Canisius College, Buffalo, NY, USA

After obtaining my BS in chemistry, I worked in a variety of industrial positions where I learned the ins and outs of the manufacturing process for hair care products, how to design and analyze toner particles, and the complex process for developing medical devices. While working full-time, I got the crazy notion to pursue a masters in chemistry part-time. This was also about the time I started to assemble my pack of dogs. My master’s research under Dr. Hans Schmitthenner was so enjoyable that I decided to apply for PhD programs which eventually led to my decision to join Dr. Julia Kubanek’s lab in the fall of 2015. I’ve spent my time since joining doing my best not to break multi-million dollar pieces of equipment while hunting down bioactive natural products and occasionally escaping to Fiji. 

Research Interests

I am interested in studying natural products derived from marine organisms that have potential pharmacological activity. I have 3 major projects that I have worked on during the course of my PhD:

1. Isolating and elucidating the structures of marine natural products with antimalarial, antibiotic, or anthelmintic activity.
2. Identifying possible mechanisms of action by which the natural products inhibit the disease-causing pathogen. 
3. Evaluating the ecological role of the natural products produced by marine organisms.