Recognizing Our Great Trainees: Sarah van Tol
Congratulations to Sarah van Tol for being awarded an F31 – Ruth
L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship from the NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
The purpose of the Kirschstein-NRSA program is to enable promising predoctoral
students with potential to develop into productive, successful, and independent research scientists to obtain mentored research training while conducting dissertation research.
Sarah is a fifth-year PhD graduate student in the Microbiology & Immunology Graduate Program. Her mentors are Dr. Alexander Freiberg, Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Director of the Robert E. Shope Biosafety Level 4 Laboratory,
and Dr. Ricardo Rajsbaum, Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology. Sarah’s current work focuses on elucidating factors that contribute to pteropine bats’ tolerance to infection with henipaviruses and the
molecular regulation of pteropine bat innate antiviral pathways. Her career goals include becoming an independent scientist, pursuing research on zoonotic pathogen-reservoir host interactions that integrates field work and animal conservation, and
teaching at the university level.
Congratulations, Sarah!
Recognizing Our Great Trainees: Jacob Stockton
Congratulations to Jacob Stockton for being awarded a National Bio and
Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) Scientist Training Program Fellowship from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
This fellowship program is designed to recruit the next generation of scientists to prevent, respond, and control outbreaks of emerging and foreign animal diseases. This fellowship offers five years of support during Jacob’s predoctoral training
and a permanent position with the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (FADDL) at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas.
Jacob is a second-year PhD graduate student in the Microbiology and Immunology Graduate Program. His mentor is Dr. Alfredo Torres, Herman Barnett Distinguished Professor in Microbiology and Immunology and Professor in the Department of Pathology. Jacob’s
current research is focused on identifying mechanisms of type VI secretion system-mediated pathogenesis in Burkholderia pseudomallei and its contribution to host cell death. Upon graduation, he will join FADDL’s Vaccine and Reagent Services
at NBAF to develop novel reagents and test vaccines for high-consequence pathogens.
Congratulations, Jacob!
Recognizing Our Great Trainees: Adam Hage
Congratulation to Adam Hage for being
selected for the 2021 Careers in Immunology Fellowship from The American Association of Immunologists.
This fellowship supports the career development of young scientists in immunological research and provides one year of salary support for a trainee in eligible mentor labs. Due to recent NIH/NIAID funding acquired by Adam’s mentor exceeding the
limit set by The American Association of Immunologists, Adam has declined this award.
Adam is a fifth-year PhD graduate student in the Microbiology and Immunology Graduate Program. His mentor is Dr. Ricardo Rajsbaum, Associate Professor in the
Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Adam’s current work focuses on elucidating how unanchored ubiquitin regulates the DExD/H-box RNA helicase DHX16 in the recognition of viral infection and regulation of host immune responses. His career
goals include becoming an independent researcher in the fields of immunology and virology, investigating the molecular interactions between hosts and viruses, and understanding how these connections are important for pathogen clearance or establishment
of infection.
Congratulations, Adam!
GSBS/IHII Award for Excellence in COVID Research
Emma Mantlo
Program: Microbiology and Immunology
Program: Year 5Mentor: Dr. Slobodan Paessler