My research interests lie at the intersection of chemistry and biology – more specifically on the roles of antioxidants in metabolic disorders. Pterostilbene is a naturally occurring antioxidant found in high concentrations in blueberries and has been implicated in reducing oxidative stress in a variety of cell types. Additionally, research has shown that synthetic derivatives of pterostilbene exacerbate the effects of pterostilbene alone in some cell types. Currently, my research group is interested in synthesizing pterostilbene derivatives and determining their potential antioxidant activities and determining the ability of naturally occurring pterostilbene and the synthetic derivatives to impact various cell types’ abilities to handle oxidative stress.