Principal Investigator for NSF Collaborative Research Award and Co-Investigator for NIH R01 Project Grant to study essential RNA editing processes and proteins in protozoan parasites.Principal Investigator for SCRI Career Development Award and Co-Investigator for NIHU01 and NIH U19 programs. Together these programs fund multi-site collaborative projects to understand immune cell responses to HIV, SARS-CoV-2, and malaria infection and immunization.Roles in developing high-level strategy and direction for all programs.Designed, initiated, and led experiments to:-understand the precise roles of RNA helicases and associated cofactors during RNA editing e.g., informing/resolving RNA structures.-broadly define immune responses to malaria infection and immunization and to identify correlates ofprotection via single cell multi-omic (transcriptomic, surface protein, immune receptor) immune profiling.-develop synthetic biology and NGS tools for high-throughput characterization of protective malariaantigens and their cognate paired immune receptors.Trained and managed graduate research associates and postdoctoral scientists. Mentored severalundergraduate and graduate students.

Designed, initiated, and led experiments to:-assess RNA-protein interactions in complexes that carry out essential RNA editing processes in protozoan parasites.-broadly define immune responses to malaria infection and immunization and to identify correlates ofprotection via single cell multi-omic (transcriptomic, surface protein, immune receptor) immune profiling.-develop synthetic biology and NGS tools for high-throughput characterization of protective malariaantigens and their cognate immune receptors.Trained and managed graduate research associates and postdoctoral scientists. Mentored severalundergraduate and graduate students. These include a recipient of the UW-wide Dillman Scholarship who was recognized for their thesis work with me.

Received the CIDR Award for Collaboration and Innovation.Developed novel approaches for mutagenesis screening in protozoan parasites, including deep mutational scanning combined with NGS. Used these approaches to study parasite proteins that are essential for RNA editing, and that are important potential drug targets.Elucidated RNA editing enzyme specificity in vivo by RNA-sequencing and NGS data analysis using a custom bioinformatics pipeline.Led a successful collaboration to generate the first map of protein interactions within essential RNA editing complexes using crosslinking mass spectrometry, and computational modelling techniques.Aided in preparation of funding applications and publications. Funded awards include an NIH R01, ‘Mitochondrial DNA of Normal and Mutant Trypanosomes’ and a WAVA Innovative Vaccine Research Pilot Project, ‘Panning a randomly mutagenized Env library to identify novel HIV immunogens’.

Characterized the functions of RNA-binding proteins that regulate synaptic plasticity, memory, and learning in the Drosophila nervous system.Determined mRNAs that associate with key neuronal RNA-binding proteins by RNA-immunoprecipitation and NGS.Initiated a major line of investigation in the Davis lab that is continuing today with major implications forneuromuscular disease research.