Graduate Student
Us
Thesis: I developed a versatile amplicon-based whole-genome sequencing approach to identify viral genomes of hantaviruses and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 within reservoir and spillover hosts.Accomplishments:- Two first author publications, seven coauthored publications in peer-reviewed journals- In collaboration with the Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (Memphis, TN): - Identified phenotypic outcomes from novel nonsynonymous mutations within SARS-CoV-2 strains in primary cell cultures and the K18-hACE2 mouse model- In collaboration with American Esoteric Laboratories (Memphis, TN): - Built a database of >1500 SARS-CoV-2 nasal swabs - Developed a high-throughput sequencing approach to identify SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in Memphis, TN- In collaboration with the Public Health Center in Ukraine: - I helped to develop a sequencing approach with degenerate primer design to identify novel hantavirus strains in the field - Led three workshops focused on advanced sequencing and bioinformatics techniques- In collaboration with University of Arkansas, I helped to design and develop a versatile whole-genome sequencing approach for RNA viruses for the purpose of variant identificationComputer skills: GraphPad Prism, CLC Genomics Workbench, MEGAX, Galaxy serverInstrument proficiencies: Illumina MiSeq, ONT MinION device, Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer, Qubit 4 Fluorometer, Nanodrop, Cytation, Countess FL II, Olympus Slideview VS200 Research Slide Scanner, Quantstudio 6 Flex, Rotary Paraffin MicrotomeVirology techniques: gel electrophoresis, PCR, RNA/DNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, plaque assay, IFA, virus propagationTissue culture: Vero E6 cell line, primary cells (lung microvascular endothelial cells, normal human tracheal epithelial cells), primary cell isolation and expansion from LMVECs of deer miceHistopathology: H&E, neutrophil stain (NACE), immunohistochemistry (viral antibodies)
