I am an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at North Carolina Central University in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. I completed my undergraduate training with double major in Chemistry and Management. My graduate work focused on the structure and stereochemistry of metabolites obtained from the Clusiaceae family of plants. I have accessed both marine and terrestrial biomes for research samples. During my post-doctoral training at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC), I worked with marine sponges and associated fungi. This work explored the ability of actively growing fungi to re-route their metabolic profile when challenged by toxins. This project resulted in the production of three cytotoxic metabolites and reengaged the discussion of epigenetic modification in cultured marine fungi.

My first academic appointment (Aug 2006-Dec 2008) was at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), a small HBCU in the US Virgin Islands (St. Thomas). During my time at UVI, I was heavily involved in student mentorship and the MARC/RISE program. My research was a tool for mentorship and I collected several plant and marine samples which I used in subsequent years. After leaving UVI, I took a position at McNeese State University, a small to medium size university in Lake Charles Louisiana. My research at focused on the natural products from native Louisiana plants. Over my seven-year tenure at McNeese I published three articles based on my group's research. I also mentored eight (8) M.S (thesis) and 2 (non-thesis) as well as over 30 undergraduate students. In 2016 I moved to North Carolina, to my current position at North Carolina Central University.

I have an eclectic teaching style which use everyday example to explain several fundamental concepts in the field of organic chemistry. I generally emphasize students need to understand the basic principles and apply them to more complex scenarios. Finally, I believe that with work and dedication your outcomes are limitless.