We develop and apply high-resolution approaches to track bacterial inner workings in motion and dissect the mechanisms underlying chromosome dynamics, growth, cell cycle control, and resilience.

We study how the atypical cell biology of the pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi supports proliferation, contributes to immune evasion, and drives Lyme disease— while revealing exploitable vulnerabilities.

We dissect the mechanisms and trade-offs of host defense peptides and antimicrobials to decode immune strategies, elucidate resistance dynamics, and guide next-generation antibiotic design.