My research interests focus on two areas:

• The first involves comparative proteomics by  a variety of techniques that include protein extraction methodologies from targeted source tissues, 2D gel-based electrophoresis separation of complex samples, statistic-based gel image analysis and mass spectrometry analysis of proteins for identification and characterization. Furthermore, quantization of complex protein samples using chemical labeling approaches (such as iTRAQ and ICTA) followed by LC-ESI/MS/MS or LC-MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis for simultaneous protein identification and quantization to validate gel-based quantitative results and the quantification of membrane proteins. These approaches are developed and used for collaborative projects with other ARS scientists.
• The second interest area is the development of new techniques in analytical and functional proteomics, to help better understand the complex biological processes in plants, validate the genome annotations, define the limits of proteome and to characterize protein post-translational modifications.