My research interests center on the membranes of cells.
Membranes are essential to all life on earth.
They form the barrier that separates the cell, the fundamental unit of life, from its environment. They also define the numerous organelles found within some types of cells. My interest is in the lipids. There are dozens to hundreds of different kinds of lipids present in even the simplest membrane, yet we do not fully understand why it is necessary for them to be present in such a huge diversity of form. The most obvious function of the membrane, to act as a barrier, could be accomplished by a single type of lipid.