I received my BS in Microbiology from Clemson University and Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Georgia. I continued my post-doctoral training in the laboratory of Prof. Robert Gennis at the University of Illinois. My research emphasis prior to coming to Cornell focused on aerobic and anaerobic respiration in bacteria. I have continued this focus at Cornell, with a specific interest in denitrification, the respiration of nitrogen oxides. My laboratory studies denitrification in related bacteria that occupy environmental niches ranging from the soil to the human body. We are interested in better understanding how these different bacteria adapt to environmental changes and deal with the stresses that arise from denitrification. I am currently Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Microbiology.