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Bacteria use tools to communicate with their environment and each other, just like we use our phones to call our friends and family. I study one of these tools, called type IV pili. Type IV pili are produced by bacteria and extend from their surfaces like long thin flexible hairs. They help bacteria move around and stick to different surfaces and are, therefore, important for the ability of bacteria to cause disease. Type IV pili are constructed from many small blocks, called proteins, like pieces of Lego joined together. In my PhD I’m trying to understand why some of these proteins are important for the function of type IV pili and how and where they fit in with other Lego blocks to build the type IV pili. Understanding how type IV pili work can help us develop vaccines and drugs to treat bacterial infections.