Research Interests:

My research interests are in the area of bioinorganic chemistry and metallobiochemistry with an emphasis on the roles of metal ions in the catalytic activity of metalloenzymes. Two areas of current concentration, in which we are beginning to probe the bioinorganic chemistry of the marine environment, are investigations of 1) the biological role of vanadium and 2) the mechanism of acquisition of transition metal ions by marine microorganisms.
In 1) we are studying the mechanism of vanadium bromoperoxidase, a marine enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of halides by hydrogen peroxide. Our investigations employ both direct studies of vanadium bromoperoxidase as well as small vanadium complexes that are functional biomimics of the enzyme to determine the role of the essential vanadium ion and the role of the protein.
In 2) we are examining the mechanism of acquisition of iron and other metals by marine bacteria, because the transition metal composition of the ocean is very unusual. We are investigating the types of siderophores and other metal uptake components in marine bacteria to determine the similarities and differences in metal binding reactions between marine and terrestrial systems.