Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States
I am a Co-Director for the School of Integrated Sciences (SIS) and Professor and Academic Unit Head for Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) at James Madison University (JMU). I enjoy exploring new intellectual spaces and working across disciplinary, organizational, and generational boundaries. Authentic partnering is a critical feature of my work. Throughout my career in higher education, I have cultivated a unique combination of skills in interdisciplinary and systems thinking, curriculum design and faculty development, event planning, and positive leadership. In the classroom, I use team-based methodologies to create dynamic learning environments that support inclusive and transformative learning. My scholarship involves the use of biotechnology to address significant and complex problems. Current undergraduate research projects involve biomanufacturing custom-engineered plastic-degrading enzymes and minimizing plastic waste production in life science labs.