Areas of interest: I am interested in understanding the complexities of gene regulation with a focus on long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and their role in creating tightly controlled biological systems. These are RNA molecules larger than 200 base pairs that exert their molecular function as RNA molecules alone and do not code for proteins. It is estimated that there are approximately 15,000 lncRNA encoded in the human genome and less than 1% have been characterized, most were studied within the context of cancer and development. There is a wealth of information to be discovered within the context of immunity and I think filling these gaps are important to fully visualize how gene expression and cellular responses are regulated.