Bacteria, like other organisms, must turn genes on and off in response to certain environmental signals for survival. Understanding this process can help in the development of strategies that mitigate antibiotic resistance. However, the identity of these signals are often unknown and not well characterized. The goal of my research program is to build new tools to better understand bacterial transcription and the signals that control expression of stress and antibiotic resistance genes. Ultimately, we hope to inform rational design of molecules to manipulate bacterial behavior, such as changing antibiotic sensitivity.