Originally from Milltown, NJ, Dr. Taylor earned her B.A. in Chemistry and Biology at Bard College (NY) where she synthesized mixed-metal dimeric and trimeric Ru(III)/Pt(II) compounds and tested their anticancer properties. She then completed her Ph.D. in Chemical Biology at UCSF (CA) in the lab of Dr. Jason Gestwicki. There, she studied molecular chaperones, such as Hsp70, Hsp60, and Hsp40 as drug targets for the treatment of advanced-stage prostate cancer. Next, she returned to NJ for her postdoctoral studies at Princeton University in the lab of Dr. Bonnie Bassler. There she began studying the mechanisms of cell-to-cell communication (quorum sensing) in the bacterial pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. She loved that blue/green bacterium so much, that she decided to continue studying it, and developing antimicrobial agents targeting P. aeruginosa in her independent research at William & Mary (VA). When she's not growing bacteria, she enjoys watching movies, Survivor, and birding.