Lab Members

Professor, Department of Pathology and Immunology

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics

Education

• BS, Chemical Engineering: University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (1986)
• PhD, Biochemistry: University of California, La Jolla, CA (1993)
• PostDoc, Molecular Biophysics: Columbia University, New York City, NY (1994-98)
• PostDoc, Immunology: National Jewish Center, Denver CO (1994-98)

Education/Training Program Affiliations

• Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology program
• Immunology program
• Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis program

Research Summary

Investigating mechanisms of host immunity and viral evasion.

Education

• BS, Chemical Engineering: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI (1985)
• PhD, Immunology & Molecular Biology: Washington University, St. Louis, MO (1994)
• PostDoc, Pathology & Immunology: Washington University, St. Louis, MO (1994-1998)

Awards

• Spencer T. Olin Award (1994)

Research

Several poxvirus immune evasion proteins make use of a conserved β-sandwich-domain that we propose calling a “PIE scaffold”. PIE domain-containing proteins are abundant among chordopox. We estimate there may be as many as 20 separate PIE families. My current aim is to determine the function of as many PIEs as possible, to understand their role in immune evasion, and by x-ray crystallography understand how they bind so many disparate ligands.

Education

• BS, Pharmacy: Tianjin University, Tianjin, China (2008)
• PhD: University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China (2013)

Research interests

• Structural basis of antibody-mediated protection of influenza virus
• Structural analysis of natural killer cell receptors and ligands

Education

• B.Sc. in Botany, University of Delhi, India (2015)
• M.Sc. in Biotechnology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, India (2017)
• Ph.D. in Nanobiotechnology, VIT, Vellore, India (2022)

Awards

• Recipient of research grant from DBT-Government of India and US-Foldscope
• Awarded International Travel Grant by the Department of Science and Technology-SERB, India

Research Interests
My research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying Alphavirus-host interactions, with an emphasis on identifying potential strategies to inhibit viral entry and replication. I am particularly interested in characterizing virus-receptor interactions using biophysical and biochemical approaches, and in studying antibody-virus binding at the atomic level to inform therapeutic and vaccine development.

Education

• BS, Biochemistry: Texas Woman’s University, Denton, TX (2017)
• PhD, Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology: Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO (2025)

Awards

• Chancellor’s Student Research Scholar (2017)
• ACS-Dallas/Ft. Worth Outstanding Undergraduate Student (2017)
• American Society for Virology Student Travel award (2020 and 2022)
• Future of Science Fund scholarship, Keystone Symposium (2024)

Research

I research the strategies and mechanisms used by poxviruses, coronaviruses, and astroviruses to engage with and evade the host immune system. To achieve this, I employ biophysical and biochemical techniques to understand these protein-protein interactions on a macromolecular level, and structural biology to determine atomic structure.

Education

• BS, General Biology: University of California – San Diego, La Jolla, CA (2015)

Research

Structural perspectives of host-pathogen interactions in arboviruses.

Education

• BS, Microbiology, University of California – San Diego, La Jolla, CA (2019)

Other Institutions

• La Jolla Institute for Immunology (2020-2023)

Research

My current work focuses on characterizing the prefusion intermediate conformation states using antibody and potential host-cell receptors, with a current focus on flavivirus.

Education

• BS, Biological Sciences: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL (2024)