My research has primarily focused on the expression of genes in Arabidopsis thaliana. This plant has been the topic of popular study since roughly the 1990s when biolgists realized its short generational cycle makes it ideal for studying gene expression in flowering plants. My research focused on comparitive biology of Arabidopsis with Melaleuca quinquenervia, an invasive species in Southwest Florida. In my research our lab performed GUS assay for the MADS box gene APETALA1 and its melaleuca homeolog in an arabidopsis model system. We hope to gain insight into the flowering systems in melaleuca since it grows and flowers notoriously quickly.