Melissa joined Parker Highlander after completing a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin and an M.S. in Organic Chemistry at The University of Arkansas. Prior to her graduate studies, Melissa earned a B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Biology from John Brown University and was awarded several prestigious research fellowships/awards. Her graduate research experience at the University of Arkansas focused on the total synthesis of the lead anti-cancer compound ipomoeassin F, as well as synthetic and computational methodology development. At UT Austin, Melissa studied the recombination of polyketide synthase modules to produce novel chiral building blocks for small molecule synthesis. She also identified gatekeeping residues in polyketide synthase active sites and performed domain docking studies, using bioinformatics and computational biology techniques. Her research was influential in the development of polyketide synthase engineering strategies related to the production of antibiotics and other biologically active compounds.