President

I am a 4^th year PhD candidate in the Experimental Pathology Program. Prior to coming to UTMB I received a BS in Public Health with a focus in Infectious Disease and Microbiology from The University of Texas at Austin. While working on my BS I interned at the NASA Johnson Space Center in their microbiology labs looking at latent reactivation of herpesviruses.

I am currently in the lab of Dr. Alexander Bukreyev whose lab focuses on the development of vaccines and antibody-based therapeutics against viral hemorrhagic fever viruses. My current research is focused on the development and assessment of a modified mRNA vaccine against Lassa virus and Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic fever virus.

Since I started here at UTMB I have made an effort to be involved with and contribute to the improvement of student life. I previously served as GSO secretary and am currently the President of the Experimental Pathology Student organization, Chair of the HEC Art Committee, and student-member of the Professionalism Committee. It has been a great honor to serve the graduate school and I would like to continue to serve and promise to put the interests and concerns of graduate students first! Reach out to your GSO officers by emailing gso@utmb.edu.

Vice President

I am a second year Experimental Pathology PhD here at UTMB. Prior to graduate school, I completed my BS in Microbiology at Virginia Tech, where I researched antibiotic-resistance genes as contaminants in wastewater systems using Ion Torrent and Illumina next-generation sequencing. My research interests going into my PhD program center around virulence evolution and ecology of emerging/neglected infectious diseases, and I am in Dr. Rossi and Dr. Freiberg’s labs researching persistent infection of Ebola virus.

My community work as an undergraduate involved organizing and leading an Indigenous x STEM alliance that worked to educate wildlife scientists on how to research respectfully on Native land as well as volunteering to help give the local Appalachian-Virginian community access to free HIV testing.

As the new Vice President of the Graduate Student Organization (GSO), I hope to aid in fostering a healthy and welcoming graduate student community. The GSO can be reached by students with any concerns by emailing gso@utmb.edu.

Treasurer

I am a 2^nd year PhD student in the Experimental Pathology program here at UTMB conducting research on emerging infectious diseases, focusing on molecular virology, immunology, and vaccine development. Prior to starting at UTMB I completed my B.S. in Biomedical Science with a concentration in Medical Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire.

As Treasurer, my primary objective is to enhance the graduate student experience at UTMB by helping plan and organize GSO-hosted events, advocate for other students, and encourage a welcoming social environment for all. We can always be reached at our email: gso@utmb.edu.

Secretary

I am a second year PhD student in the Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology program in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology track. Prior to coming to UTMB, I conducted research on emerging avian retroviruses and taught course-based research experiences about bacteriophage isolation and characterization. During my undergraduate career, I served as a student ambassador for undergraduate research between my university’s President and Vice President for Research. Currently, my research in the Smith lab focuses on confrontational changes of murine norovirus in response to environmental conditions and how those changes correlate to immune evasion and disease pathologies. 

As secretary of the Graduate Student Organization (GSO), I am committed to serving our students. My goal is the foster a sense of community within our students, act as a voice to bring attention to their needs and continue to work to make graduate school a pleasant experience. Students can reach out to your GSO officers by emailing gso@UTMB.edu.