Mentor: Klaas van Wijk

Education:

James Madison University – Bachelor of Science, Biotechnology (2021)

Awards and Honors

• Honorable Mention from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (2022)
• Awarded the Presidential Life Science Fellowship – which funded my first year of graduate school (2021)
• American Society of Plant Biologists Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (Summer 2019)
• James Madison University STEM Second Century Scholarship – for incoming freshmen that demonstrate a passion for bettering the world through their commitment to a STEM career (4 years)
• Dept. of Biology Excellence in Teaching award, James Madison

Research Experience:

• Undergraduate Honors Thesis Project: Investigating a putative dual-function β-amylase gene in corn and rice (w/ Jonathan Monroe), Aug 2018 – June 2021.

Current Research Activities:

Selective protein degradation is necessary to regulate proteome composition and complement protein synthesis, sorting, processing, and folding. My research focuses on chloroplast protein degradation by the Caseinolytic protease (Clp) system, which is the most abundant stromal protease and is essential for chloroplast biogenesis. The Clp system consists of AAA+ chaperones (ClpC1, ClpC2, and ClpD) that select, unfold, and deliver substrates to a protease core complex consisting of ClpP, ClpR, and ClpT family members. Substrate recognition by the chaperones is aided by ClpS1 and ClpF, but additional adaptors likely target different sets of substrates during chloroplast differentiation and development. My research aims to discover novel Clp substrates and adaptors, determine the details of substrate selection by ClpS1 and ClpF, and analyze how the Clp system contribute to Arabidopsis chloroplast proteome developmental dynamics. In my research, I will utilize a wide range of biochemical and structural techniques to solve central questions in plastid proteostasis, a fundamental process in plant physiology and development.