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My primary area of expertise is in experimental geochemistry.  My current research has focused on measuring the partial molal volumes of aqueous organic mixtures at high temperatures and pressures. These experimentally determined data can be used to help develop and refine estimates of the thermodynamic properties of organic compounds for which measurements are not available. Ultimately, this research has applications to developing a more accurate geochemical model for the origin of life on Earth in extreme environments such as hydrothermal vents (black smokers) and solar system bodies such as Mars and Europa.

Most of my professional activity, since coming to East Bay, has been in science education. I am a Director of the Science Partnership of the East Bay that partners with the Alameda County Office of Education, other county offices of education, and schools and districts throughout the San Francisco Bay area.  Since 2008, the Science Partnership has been awarded nearly $17 million in grants from NASA, the National Science Foundation and the State of California to provide services to schools and districts in the San Francisco Bay area seeking to strengthen their science programs and science instruction consistent with the Next Generation Science Standards.