My interdisciplinary lab works at the interface of microfluidics, systems biology, and synthetic biology. We are primarily interested in de novo engineering of complex biochemical systems. We are tackling these challenges through an integrative appproach that combines biochemistry, precision measurements, microfluidics, and computational methods. Our current research focus lies in the area of cell-free synthetic biology, particularly the bottom up development of a synthetic cell. In previous work, we have advanced the understanding of transcription factor biophysics and transcriptional regulation using both in vitro and in vivo approaches. We have also contributed to large-scale single-cell analysis, the design of synthetic genetic networks, and the development of molecular diagnostics.