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Author: Donna Huber

Ph.D. candidate Ale Villegas and advisor Vasant Muralidharan receive Gilliam Graduate Fellowship Award

Donna Huber on July 28, 2021

Ale Villegas and Vasant Muralidharan
PhD Candidate Ale Villegas and Advisor Dr. Vasant Muralidharan (Photo Courtesy of Vasant Muralidharan)

Malaria’s connection to Georgia goes back to the colonial period. The Southeastern United States provided prime conditions for a thriving mosquito population which ensured the spread of the disease. The state capital moved from Louisville to Milledgeville in 1806 in part because of malaria outbreaks among the state’s General Assembly.

Later, the federal Office of Malaria Control in War Areas was established in Atlanta instead of Washington D.C. because of its proximity to malaria. The center was succeeded in 1946 by the Communicable Disease Center which is now the Centers for Disease Control. While Malaria was mostly eliminated in the U.S. by 1951, it still impacts millions of people around the globe. Cue Ale Villegas, a doctoral candidate in Cellular Biology.

Villegas and her advisor, Dr. Vasant Muralidharan, were recently awarded a Gilliam Graduate Fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The goal of the fellowship is to increase the diversity among scientists who are prepared to assume leadership roles in science. The program selects pairs of students and their dissertation advisers based on their scientific leadership and commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the sciences.

Villegas’s research is on the edge of the unknown. She works with Muralidharan in UGA’s Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases where they aim to understand the parasite that causes malaria.

“I’m exploring the mechanisms by which malaria parasites develop in human red blood cells,” said Villegas. “I am studying Plasmodium falciparum, the most common and deadly species that infects humans. These studies can inform therapeutic treatments in the future.”

 

PhD trainee Ale Villegas
PhD Candidate Ale Villegas. Villegas is in the cellular biology department. (Photo Courtesy of Ale Villegas)

Villegas specifically studies a malaria parasite glycosyltransferase or an enzyme that adds sugar molecules to other biomolecules. These enzymes may be needed by the parasite to survive and resist the immune response. There are few experts or studies in this area, but Villegas saw beyond those challenges to the critical importance of understanding malaria immune response.

“She is a very talented young scientist who has undertaken a challenging and high-impact research project,” said Muralidharan. “Her initial work was fraught with technical difficulties and setbacks, most of which are attributable to the difficulties in working with the hard-to-study malaria parasite. I am very impressed by her toughness and intellectual capacity as she solved one technical issue after another. She is now poised to move the field forward in a meaningful way.”

Villegas has also worked with Dr. Robert Haltiwanger and his graduate students in the Complex-Carbohydrate Research Center at UGA to advance her research. Haltiwanger is a leading expert on fringe-like glycosyltransferases like the enzyme she studies.

“Having Dr. Haltiwanger on campus is amazingly lucky,” said Villegas. “He and his graduate students go above and beyond when I need help or need to try out experiments. I’m glad to have access to his knowledge, experienced grad students, and sometimes his reagents!”

“What these parasite-derived sugar modifications are and how they form could inform a better vaccine or other drug therapies for malaria,” said Villegas.

Rings of P. falciparum in a thick blood smear. (Photo Courtesy of CDC)
Rings of P. falciparum in a thick blood smear. (Photo Courtesy of CDC)

Malaria still kills around 450,000 people each year. Most of these victims are children under the age of five. There are no effective vaccines and the parasite has gained resistance to all antimalarials currently in clinical use. Villegas’ research on this parasite sugar-adding enzyme could have important implications for future treatments and vaccine development.

The Gilliam Fellowship allows Villegas to pursue other passions in addition to science. She is a leader in student advocacy and devoted to helping students gain access to resources to advocate for themselves.

“I practice and promote student and self-advocacy by serving on the UGA Graduate Student Association and the student science policy group (SPEAR),” said Villegas. “With fellow SPEAR members, I have organized advocacy days workshops to empower students to advocate for themselves and issues they are passionate about.”

“I have found that those who are most successful understand failure very well,” said Muralidharan. “We need to normalize this. We are working to figure out the unknown. Failure in science is normal, and it is critical for discovery.”

Vasant Muralidharan
Dr. Vasant Muralidharan’s lab utilizes molecular genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry to study the biological mechanisms driving the disease.

The award also provides funding for Muralidharan to develop mentoring skills and to share those skills with other faculty members at UGA. He has served as a mentor for many either first-generation or underrepresented students in STEM. He explains that scientists need strong support systems, especially when they experience failure in the lab. The people around them help the most.

When Villegas graduates, she hopes to continue working on and learning about science policy and advocacy. Her ideal job would allow her to be a scientist in addition to being an advocate for graduate students and a creator of equitable graduate education policies.

The Gilliam Graduate Fellowship provides Villegas an opportunity to move closer to her goals and to contribute to potentially life-saving research that could reduce the global threat of malaria.

Announcement from Howard Hughes Medical Institute

This story originally appeared at UGA’s Graduate School

CTEGD Emerging Fellows Symposium

Donna Huber on January 26, 2021

CTEGD Emerging Fellows Symposium

We invite recent and soon-to-graduate students from any biological discipline to apply for funded postdoctoral fellowships and positions to study parasitic diseases at the University of Georgia. Selected applicants will present their research virtually to the CTEGD community on May 3, 2021. The applicants will get to meet with several faculty at CTEGD, as well as former and current trainees of the T32 program. We strongly support and encourage scholars from historically excluded or underreprestented groups to apply.

To apply, please send a cover letter and your CV by April 2, 2021 to ctegdt32@uga.edu

Trainee Spotlight: Megna Tiwari

Donna Huber on November 4, 2020

Megna Tiwari is a second-year Ph.D. trainee in the laboratory of Diego Huet. She is originally from Newport Beach, California and completed her undergraduate degree in Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). While at UCR, she worked as an undergraduate researcher in the fungal genomics lab of Dr. Jason Stajich for 2 years and co-founded Women in STEM Engaging Riverside (WISER). After graduation, she worked as a blood bank lab technician at LifeStream Blood Bank where she screened for and routinely found blood samples positive for understudied pathogenic parasites. Her fascination with pathogenic parasites led her to seek a thesis-based Master of Science in Biology at California State University, Fullerton under the supervision of Dr. Veronica Jimenez. During this period, Megna worked on understanding the functional and structural relationship of mechanosensitive ion channels found in T. cruzi and cemented her passion for molecular parasitology.

Megna has been awarded a CTEGD T32 Training Fellowship. She currently serves as Vice-president of CTEGD’s Graduate Student Association and New Student Liaison for the Department of Cellular Biology’s Graduate Student Association.

Why did you choose UGA? 

My master’s research in parasitology reaffirmed my passion for research in unconventional parasitic pathogens. Therefore, I applied for doctoral programs that would allow me to remain in the field of cell and molecular parasitology and the CTEGD at UGA was the perfect place for me to obtain the best possible training as a parasitologist.

What is your research focus/project and why are you interested in the topic? 

The over-reaching research goal of the Huet lab is the investigation of the highly divergent metabolic adaptations of apicomplexans. My research interests in the lab have led me to study the role of the ATP synthase in the apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of toxoplasmosis. For my project, I am examining the role of apicomplexan-specific ATP synthase subunits and how they might contribute to the regulation of the ATP synthase function in the parasite.

What are your future professional plans?  

Following graduation from UGA, I hope to continue on for a postdoctoral research position in parasitology.

What do you hope to do for your capstone experience? 

For my capstone experience, I want to gain an outside perspective and understanding of foreign research culture that I can apply to my own research when I return to the CTEGD.

What is your favorite thing about UGA and/or Athens? 

At the CTEGD, I love the collaborative nature. If I am trying to learn a new technique or understand new concepts, I am able to easily walk down the hall to a neighboring lab and get advice. In Athens, for entertainment, I love the endless craft beer scene and I love all the greenery and being able to hike gaps of the Appalachian trail!

Trainee Spotlight: Melissa Sleda

Donna Huber on September 16, 2020

Melissa Sleda, a Ph.D. trainee is Silvia Moreno’s laboratory, is in her third year at UGA. She is originally from Sandusky, Michigan and attended Lawrence Technological University where she majored in Molecular and Cell Biology with a minor in Chemistry. At UGA, she has held positions as the Secretary for the Cell Bio Grad Student Association (2019-2020), and as Treasurer (2019-2020) and current President (2020-2021) of the CTEGD grad student association.

Melissa Sleda has been awarded a T32 Trainee Fellowship for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Why did you choose UGA?

I chose UGA because of the Integrated Life Sciences Umbrella program. As an incoming graduate student, I was not set on studying a particular organism, and I was excited for the opportunity to rotate in labs across different departments.

What is your research project?

My project seeks to characterize enzymes of the isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway in Toxoplasma gondii and to investigate these enzymes as potential chemotherapeutic targets. The current chemotherapy for Toxoplasmosis is ineffective because it does not eliminate the chronic stage of infection. My project seeks to test drugs that target enzymes of the isoprenoid pathway in both the acute and chronic forms of infection in order to find a more effective chemotherapy.

What are your future professional plans?

My future career goal is to stay in academia and become a professor at a smaller institution with a higher emphasis on teaching and leading smaller research projects. I want to help students at smaller universities gain research experience through classroom labs and one-on-one research projects.

What do you hope to do for your Capstone Experience?

For my capstone experience, I hope to be able to do research in another country to gain a wider perspective of how research is done in other countries. I hope that I am able to do research in a lab that I can learn new techniques that will translate into my research project.

What is your favorite thing about Athens?

My favorite thing about Athens is the warm weather and the great sense of community.

What advice do you have for students interested in this field?

Do things out of your comfort zone because it will help you develop as a scientist.

Trainee Spotlight: Alona Botnar

Donna Huber on August 18, 2020

T32 trainee Alona Botnar is entering her fifth year as a Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Dennis Kyle’s laboratory. She is from Doylestown, Pennsylvania and completed her B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Biochemistry at the University of Georgia in 2015. During her undergraduate career, she also worked at Janssen, a pharmaceutical company of Johnson & Johnson as a Biologics R&D co-op.

As a graduate student, she was able to spend three semesters teaching Anatomy and Physiology labs here at UGA, and in 2019, she was awarded the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Instruction. She also received a graduate school travel award to attend the 2018 annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in New Orleans, Louisiana, and an Office for Vice President and Research travel award to attend the 2020 Molecular Approaches to Malaria meeting held in Lorne, Victoria, Australia.

Why did you choose UGA?

Having been at UGA for my undergraduate degree, I was already in love with UGA and Athens and all that they have to offer. I was attracted to the Integrated Life Sciences program because it gives incoming graduate students the freedom to explore a wide range of research topics among 14 different departments before choosing the lab they would ultimately like to join. Furthermore, I found the interdisciplinary approach of the program appealing. I love the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases because of all the resources available to us as scientists. Not only do we have state of the art microscopy and flow cytometry cores, but we also have very collaborative labs that are happy to share equipment, supplies, and expertise.

What is your research focus?

My research is focused on malaria and addressing significant problems at the stages of development at which the malaria parasite enters a drug-induced dormant period and evades the antimalarial. The mechanism by which the parasite enters drug-induced dormancy and later recrudesces to continue development is currently unknown.

Half the world’s population is at risk of malaria with about half a million people dying each year from it. A majority of these deaths are in children under the age of 5, located mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. While there are 5 species that can infect humans, Plasmodium falciparum is the most lethal and is responsible for a majority of the deaths. Our current arsenal of malaria drugs is failing at an alarming rate as drug-resistant strains of the parasite continue to emerge.

Thus I chose this research project because it is vital that we respond to the challenge of antimalarial drug resistance by not only developing novel drugs but also by understanding the mechanisms the parasite is using to evade the drugs.

What are your future career goals?

I plan on continuing my work in the field of infectious diseases. I am leaning towards industry research but I’m keeping an open mind. Lately, I have been interested in alternative careers available to life science Ph.D.’s such as consulting and being a medical science liaison.

What is your favorite thing about UGA?

UGA football. There’s nothing quite like a fall Saturday in Athens between the hedges. GO DAWGS!

Do you have any advice for a student interested in this field?

It’s never too early or too late to get into the field. Don’t be afraid to send those emails and get involved in research. And always ask questions.

NIH awards CTEGD $1.9 million to support training in tropical and emerging global diseases

Donna Huber on August 6, 2020

UGA’s Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases has been awarded $1.9 million from the National Institutes of Health to continue its pre- and post-doctoral training program for the next five years. First funded in 2004, CTEGD has received nearly $2 million from NIH to train the next generation of scientists in the fight against neglected tropical diseases. The new funding will support additional fellowships and new training initiatives.

Every year, parasitic diseases are responsible for more than a million deaths and leave hundreds of millions more with chronic infections lasting years. However, there are few U.S. programs that specifically train researchers in this field.

CTEGD is recognized as a pre-eminent research center that brings together the largest number of laboratories in the U.S. to study the full gamut of parasitic diseases, which are highly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, South America and Asia. Often, these diseases are the consequence and cause of poverty, and they are increasingly emerging (or re-emerging) in industrialized nations. Most of these diseases have no cure and few treatment options, and growing drug resistance complicates the fight against them. Now more than ever, researchers are needed in the field of parasitology and tropical diseases in order to improve global health.

NIH recognizes the need for researchers trained in parasitology and tropical disease, as well as UGA’s and CTEGD’s ability to fill it, by providing funding for two additional pre-doctoral fellowships. CTEGD will now be able to award five pre-doctoral fellowships and two post-doctoral fellowships each year

“This is incredibly exciting,” said Dr. Silvia Moreno, program director of CTEGD’s Training in Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases (TTEGD) and Distinguished Research Professor in cellular biology. “It’s a very competitive program and having additional pre-doc positions funded is even more exciting. Our program offers a great environment for training in parasitology which is the result of the hard work of the CTEGD community plus great UGA institutional support”.

The support of the university community

UGA’s support of the program has been instrumental to its continuing funding by NIH. The state-of-the-art equipment and facilities available to trainees allow them to learn cutting-edge techniques and technologies.

Under the direction of Vice President David Lee, the Office of Research has committed significant support over the next five years to fund the capstone experience, which allows each fellow to conduct research in an international setting, and two additional pre-doctoral assistantships.

“The Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases is one of the key components of UGA’s strength in the wide-ranging fight against human disease,” Lee said. “The exceptional training that students and posdocs receive at CTEGD is a point of significant pride for the university, and I am committed to supporting the further growth of the Center and the TTEGD program.”

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs will continue to partner with CTEGD to provide grant-writing workshops and career development opportunities for post-doctoral fellows. Last year, CTEGD organized a workshop on NIH’s K-Award grants that are available to post-doctoral fellows.

Franklin College of Arts & Sciences has also committed over the next 5 years to match funds from CTEGD to provide for a mini-sabbatical program a faculty member from a local college or university, along with up to two undergraduate students from that school, to spend a semester working in a CTEGD laboratory. The goal of this program is to increase awareness of post-undergraduate opportunities and spark interest in neglected tropical disease research.

Committed to training the next generation of scientists

To date, 37 pre- and post-doctoral fellows have received training support through the NIH T32 Training Grant. The fellowships awarded by CTEGD include a stipend, travel award, health insurance, and some financial support for research supplies. Pre-doctoral fellows also receive a tuition waiver. In the past 15 years, graduate students have assisted in field studies in Haiti, Tanzania, Argentina, Thailand, Ecuador, and Kenya as part of their capstone experience.

“My trip to Ecuador was unimaginably enriching,” said Dr. Manuel Fierro, a former T32 fellow who completed his Ph.D. this year. “I was presented with the way great research is done in a setting containing fewer resources than in the US and it gave me important connections for my professional development. More importantly, it gave me hope of returning to my home country and continue applying my parasitology training.”

Trainees have gone on to positions in academia, government and industry. They have secured positions as post-doctoral fellows, staff scientists, and assistant professors at such institutions as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, University of California, Emory University School of Medicine, Tufts University’s Cummings Veterinary Medical School, and Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infective Research in Scotland.

Embarking on its 16th year this fall, CTEGD is committed as ever to increasing rigor, diversity, and career development in its training program. New requirements for post-doctoral trainees, more rigorous training for new trainers, strategic recruitment initiatives to target underrepresented minorities, and expansion of training to include large data mining and computer science are just a few of the changes the program will undertake over the next five years.

“The T32 training grant represents the core of CTEGD’s effort to prepare the next generation of scientists to tackle the scourge of the neglected parasitic diseases of mankind,” said Dr. Dennis Kyle, director of CTEGD. “The renewal of this award allows us to expand our efforts and is recognition of the excellence of our students, postdocs, staff, and faculty.”

Trainee Spotlight: Emma Troth

Donna Huber on July 23, 2020

Emma Troth, a Ph.D. trainee in Dennis Kyle‘s laboratory, is entering her fourth year at UGA. She is originally from Eureka, Illinois, and attended Bradley University where she majored in Biology with a minor in Ethics. While at UGA, Emma has served as president of the CTEGD Graduate Student Association (2019-2020) and is currently the CTEGD Graduate Student Association representative.

How did you get interested in neglected tropical diseases?

As an undergraduate, I participated in a Research Experience for Undergraduates program at the University of Notre Dame. At Notre Dame, I worked on a project characterizing malaria vectors in the Solomon Islands and Indonesia. My summer at Notre Dame sparked my interest in neglected tropical diseases.

Why did you choose UGA?

I chose UGA because of the diversity of research. Coming into graduate school, I knew I was interested in infectious diseases but did not have my heart set on a particular organism to work on. UGA works on the biggest selection of infectious organisms. With the Integrated Life Sciences Program, I had the opportunity to experience multiple labs working on different organisms, regardless of department, to help me identify where I would like to complete my doctoral degree.

What is your research focus? Why are you interested in this topic?

My project focuses on drug discovery for Naegleria fowleri, the brain-eating amoebae. My main project focuses on structure-based drug design to develop novel drug targets against N. fowleri. Additionally, I am working to develop phenotypic drug screening assays to complement our high-throughput drug discovery. I am fascinated by N. fowleri because it is such a mysterious, deadly organism. Though infections may not be as common as other parasitic diseases, nearly all cases of primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) are fatal. This amoeba is grossly understudied; very few labs in the world research this organism. It is both a privilege and a challenge to be able to work on this neglected parasite.

Have you done any fieldwork or is there a collaborator/field site that you would like to visit in order to enhance your training?

I hope to complete an internship with the Task Force for Global Health. This internship will ideally include fieldwork with one of their neglected tropical disease programs.

What are your future professional plans?

Going forward, I would like to continue my career in neglected tropical diseases with an emphasis on global health. I am particularly interested in a career involving field research. Ultimately, I hope to work for a government agency like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or a non-profit organization focused on neglected tropical diseases.

What is your favorite thing about Athens?

My favorite thing about Athens is the food! There is such a variety of local restaurants and new restaurants are continually opening. Coming from a small undergraduate institution, I really enjoy the atmosphere of a large university in a small college town. Athens is a very easy city to feel “at home”.

Any advice for a student interested in this field?

Never be afraid to reach out for help, wherever you need it! Coming into graduate school can be intimidating and at times, isolating. There are so many people eager to help you on your graduate school journey and ultimately want to see you succeed. Particularly within the CTEGD, I have always been met with kind and willing responses. All it takes is for you to take the step and reach out!

Trainee Spotlight: Logan Crowe

Donna Huber on June 9, 2020

Logan Crowe, an NIH T32 Fellow, joined the lab of Dr. Roberto Docampo as a post-doctoral trainee in September 2019. He is originally from North Carolina and obtained his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of North Carolina- Greensboro in 2014.  After graduating with his bachelor’s, he began a Ph.D. program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Clemson University. While at Clemson, he worked in the lab of Dr. Meredith Morris in the Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center (EPIC) studying glycosome protein import and heterogeneity as well as environmental adaptation in Trypanosoma brucei.  He graduated with his Ph.D. in May of 2019 and remained as a research fellow until transitioning to UGA to work in the Docampo lab.

Why did you choose UGA?

I chose UGA primarily because I wanted to continue working in parasitology and I have had several years of close contact with the CTEGD since Clemson is nearby and we attend each other’s meetings frequently.  At one of the CTEGD symposiums, I had a chance to talk with a former graduate student of the Docampo lab, which led to a collaborative project. Since I had built several connections with the Center, the CTEGD and the Docampo lab was the perfect opportunity to continue studying parasitology.

What is your research focus?

I currently have two primary projects in Trypanosoma cruzi.  My first project is the role of polyphosphates on the regulation of glycolytic enzymes. The lab has identified a glycosomal localization for polyP in both T. brucei and T. cruzi, and I am exploring a possible role for polyP in metabolic regulation. My second project is characterizing the mechanically-sensitive Piezo ion channels in T. cruzi which may have a role in invasion of host cells.

Do you have any advice for a student interested in this field?

My advice would be to find a lab with a mentor that puts energy into helping you grow as a scientist. Choose a mentor that invests in you and gives you a positive experience and you will be excited to go to lab and work and will be much more prepared for the next steps in whatever career path you choose.

Trainee Spotlight: Edwin Pierre Louis

Donna Huber on May 23, 2020

Edwin Pierre Louis is a pre-doctoral trainee in the laboratory of Dr. Drew Etheridge. Originally from Haiti, he immigrated to the US to attend the University of Florida (UF), where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry Molecular Biology. After earning his degree at UF, Edwin accepted a position as a biological scientist in the UF Center of Excellence for Regenerative Health Biotechnology, with a focus on gene and cell based therapeutic development, where he worked for three years. There, he first discovered his love of host-pathogen interactions as a biological scientist working under the supervision of Dr. Richard Snyder for the component Florida Biologix at this center and later merged to create Brammer Bio which was subsequently acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific. During this time in industry, he realized that to improve his scientific capacities he would need to continue his studies by pursuing a graduate degree. As part of his preparations to apply to a graduate program, he joined the UGA post-baccalaureate PREP program whose mission is to prepare students interested in a graduate degree for the application process. During this time, he was granted the opportunity to join Dr. Michael Terns’ laboratory for a year where he investigated the molecular mechanism of CRISPR-Cas based viral defense in Streptococcus thermophilus as well as prime adaptation events in the type II-A CRISPR-Cas system.

Since attending UGA, Edwin has been awarded both the Gateway to Graduate School Bridge Program and the Graduate Scholars Leadership, Engagement and Development Program (GS LEAD) scholarships sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

What is your research focus and why are you interested in the topic?

Broadly, my key research interests center around how organisms like viruses and parasites manipulate their host cell in order to grow and propagate. My current project is focused on elucidating how the protozoan pathogen Toxoplasma gondii is able to use secreted protein effectors to manipulate its host cells functions.

Why did you choose UGA?

I chose to study at the University of Georgia, in part, because of my excellent post-baccalaureate experience in the PREP program. It was evident from my interactions that UGA excels at fostering a productive relationship between students and faculty. Regardless of any faculty member’s relationship to the students, there was a sustained willingness for faculty to give of their time in order to see the students succeed.  I also decided to pursue my PhD at UGA because of the cutting-edge research and in particular the collection of outstanding parasitologists that is uniquely found in the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases (CTEGD).

What are your future professional plans?

As I continue my graduate studies on host pathogen interaction, I plan to do some post-doctoral trainings to augment my apprenticeship and ultimately become an independent scientist to lead my own research group.  I also hope to be able to give back to the local community that has contributed so much to my own personal success by donating my time and knowledge to mentor young budding scientists especially those from underprivileged homes and/or underdeveloped countries.

Trainee Spotlight: Stephen Vella

Donna Huber on September 23, 2018

Stephen Vella is a Ph.D. trainee in Silvia Moreno‘s laboratory. He is originally from Indiana where he received his B.S. in microbiology at Indiana University. In his first year at UGA, he was awarded an Excellence in Graduate Recruitment Award and a Provost’s Scholars of Excellence Award Fellowship. He has also been awarded an Outstanding Poster Presentation at the Molecular Parasitology Meeting in 2016. And in 2017, he was awarded a T32 fellowship from CTEGD.

Why did you choose UGA?

Originally UGA was recommended to me by my old boss. My old PI had said that UGA has a long-standing reputation for being a good school to study for a Ph.D. I interviewed here in February of 2014 and was greeted very warmly and hospitably.  Additionally, I wanted to experience how life was like living in a different part of the United States, so I chose UGA.

What is your project/research focus and why did you choose this research focus?

Ca2+ is a universal signaling molecule across all of life, yet little is known about how this important molecule regulates lytic cycle progression of the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii. This question is the primary focus of our lab. In particular, my project focuses on how Ca2+ signaling regulates motility of the parasite. Motility is essential for egress from a host cell, the need to traverse biological barriers to find new host cells and invasion into a novel host. I am studying two aspects of this process: the role of host cell Ca2+ involved in parasite egress and how Ca2+ oscillations are decoded into different types of parasite motility.

What are your career goals?

I am still in the process of trying to determine the best career path for me! I strongly believe that I will do a postdoc, but I am leaning towards doing more industry or non-profit related research. Who knows, what the future will bring for me.

What do you hope to do for your capstone experience? 

I would like to do some more clinical related research in the field. I think it is easy to get tunnel vision into life within a lab. We forget that these are parasites that we are studying and affect millions of people’s lives. We can see a picture or two in a seminar, but that is not the same as seeing the consequences of the disease firsthand. I think that experience would aid me in whatever future endeavors in my life.

What is your favorite thing about UGA and/or Athens?

I have lived in a college town for quite some time now, and Athens has a sense of familiarity to it. It has the very youthful and diverse vibe that you can only experience in a college town. For the center, I really feel like we are a family. You hear stories of other research centers that are caught up in competition between each other and don’t want to work together. I don’t feel that here. We are all working together to better ourselves collectively.

And advice for a student interested in this field?

Don’t be afraid to try something new and make friends with your neighbors! When you have a problem or might need a resource from another lab it is best to be on good terms with them. Also, whatever background you come will only aid you as you develop in the field. Too often people downplay their previous background experience as a hindrance to being successful in parasitology. Whatever background you come from will only benefit you, as a diverse influx of ideas is fundamental for science.