He joined the University in 2017, drawn here by "the opportunity to build a world-class research program in a setting that values holistic student growth and training.” His research focuses on microbiology as it relates to water quality and public health protection. This includes the detection and fate of human pathogenic viruses in the environment, as well as the microbiome of the built and environment, and the microbial ecology of environments effected by fossil fuels -- such as the water produced from hydraulic fracturing (fracking).