My goals are to contribute to the research, teaching and service missions of the IMB department and COM. My goal in research is to understand how commensal and pathogenic Neisseria cause long-term asymptomatic infections. My goal in teaching is to mentor postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and undergraduates with the aim of helping them to develop productive careers in science; to serve on mentoring and thesis committees of graduate students in my lab and in other labs; and to impart my knowledge to graduate students by teaching formal graduate level courses. I also contribute to the community by serving in departmental and college committees, either as a member or as chair of these committees; and by reviewing manuscripts for journals.