Hi, my name is Jess!
During my undergrad, I studied physiology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. After graduating, I promptly fled the cold Minnesota winters and moved back home to California, where I worked at a research laboratory in Monrovia for nearly 3 years. While there, I worked on a number of projects aimed at developing effective peptide therapeutics and novel drug delivery systems for HIV prophylaxis. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our lab conducted an IRB-approved clinical surveillance study, giving me the opportunity to characterize SARS-CoV-2 viral infection dynamics and host immune responses in infected individuals throughout the pandemic.
I am excited to pursue my PhD in the Lane Lab, where I will deepen my understanding of neuroimmunology by investigating the impact of viral infection on neurodegenerative disease pathology.
When I’m not in the lab, I enjoy horseback riding, tennis, watching hockey, and cuddling up with my cat!