Her research interests focus on problems at the interfaces of inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, and biotechnology. She uses structural biology and biochemistry approaches to understand how transition metal reactivity is controlled by protein structure and how essential metal ions are acquired and mobilized in microorganisms. The overarching goal of her research program is to be able to manipulate how metals are used in a given organism, either to control microbial growth for therapeutic purposes or to facilitate new chemistry in biotechnology applications.