Research in my laboratory explores the molecular biology of bacterial viruses (bacteriophages) and other mobile genetic elements, with a focus on how they shape the ecology and evolution of bacterial pathogens.

Studying how phages interact with their bacterial hosts provides fundamental insight into the biology of those bacteria, and I am inspired by the idea that phages, and other genetic parasites, have been studying bacteria for much longer than we have. For example, understanding the bacterial receptors phages in any given environment are using can reveal what molecular structures are exposed on those bacteria in situ and their importance in this environment - phages almost always evolve to impose evolutionary tradeoffs!

By understanding these interactions, we can learn how to exploit them to better predict evolutionary outcomes, or even derive strategic interventions to guide the evolution of bacteria towards favorable outcomes.

Currently, we are pioneering novel strategies to isolate phages with interesting and potentially exploitable characteristics, such as dependency on antibiotic resistance plasmids. We are studying the biology of these unusual plasmid-dependent phages, gaining unique insight into the molecular biology of bacterial pathogens, and exploring how these phages could be used to combat the global threat of antibiotic resistance.