A Little Bit About Me...

What I really look like (on a good day)

I grew up in North Haven, CT and hold a BS in Biochemistry from Boston College and a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from the University of Pennsylvania. I've worked in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, researching therapies for infectious diseases and examining host responses to viral pathogens such as HIV. My graduate work employed computational and theoretical methods to understand the hydration of biological molecules, including drug binding to DNA and the ice-inhibiting properties of antifreeze proteins. My current research interests focus on the structure-function characteristics of proteins that play a role in cellular “quality control” mechanisms for biomolecules. I also maintain the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry computational chemistry server. Among my favorite things to do: teatime, reading a good British mystery, hiking, gardening, baking (being a pastry chef is my fantasy career), and spending time with family.

My Family- Annalee, Hugh, Hughie, Daniel, and Meghan

What I like to listen to:

Billie Holiday, Jamie Cullum, Amos Lee, Ray LaMontagne, Diana Krall Norah Jones, Jethro Tull, Battlefield Band, Jack Johnson, pretty much any classic jazz or folk

Favorite movies:

The Princess Bride
The Shawshank Redemption
House of Flying Daggers

Some of my favorite reads:

Smithsonian Magazine- my absolute favorite!
For light reading: Anything written by Agatha Christie, Lindsey Davis or Daniel Silva

My favorite books of all time:
A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens (I'm a sucker for the noble, tragic hero!)
The Portrait of a Lady, Henry James
Middlemarch, George Eliot
Last of the Mohicans, James Fenimore Cooper
A History of the World in Six Glasses, Tom Standage

My favorite Jane Austen novel: Pride and Prejudice, of course!

What I'm currently reading (Spring 2018):

Alias Grace, Margaret Atwood

The Book of Night Women, Marlon James