Lab Manager

MA Biological Sciences
The College of William and Mary
Williamsburg, VA

BA Biological Sciences
University of California,
Santa Barbara

Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Huntsman Cancer Institute
University of Utah
2000 Circle of Hope
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Phone: 801-585-1823
FAX: 801-585-6410

Projects:

I joined the Cairns lab as its first member in 1998. Since that time I have had the pleasure of watching the lab grow from a small lab that studied RSC to a large and diverse lab that studies a variety of chromatin-related processes in a wide array of organisms. As lab manager, I do my best to help keep the lab running as smoothly as possible.

My own research interests have focused primarily on the Rsc1 and Rsc2 subunits of RSC in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Specifically, I would like to determine the role that the bromodomains and BAH domains of these proteins contribute to binding specific histone modifications. In addition to RSC, I have had the opportunity to study other chromatin-modifying complexes, including the histone methyltransferase Set1, and was able to make significant contributions to understanding how the enzyme is regulated. I am currently examining the relationship between RSC and ISW1 complexes through both genetics and genomics.

I came to Utah more than 10 years ago for what I thought would be just a few years. Little did I know that I would fall in love with the mountains and never want to leave. Outside of the lab, I spend as much time as I can outdoors, backpacking, hiking, or snowshoeing. I have two little boys who are quickly becoming avid hikers as well.