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Jesse P

- Research Program Mentor

PhD at Harvard University

Expertise

Virology, Microbiology, Plant Biology

Bio

I am a virologist and protein biochemist who is endlessly fascinated by the natural world (especially the parts we cannot see with the naked eye). I recently started as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Enzyme Biochemistry at New England Biolabs in Ipswich, MA. My research is focused on discovering diverse epigenetic markers in the genomes of viruses and cellular organisms and the enzymes that make those chemical marks directly on the DNA. Over the past decade, I have developed a strong research background in molecular virology, biochemistry, and cell biology. I am particularly passionate about all things STEM and paying it forward to the next generation of scientists and innovative thinkers. I am forever grateful for the fantastic mentors who have influenced my education and training, and I feel it is important for everyone to share in those experiences and opportunities. Outside of the lab, I love writing, cooking, eating, and especially indoor and urban gardening!

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

What does it mean to be alive?

Some scientists consider viruses inert biological entities, unable to complete essential functions outside the context of a living host cell. However, the discovery and characterization of unusually complex “giant viruses” during the past two decades has started to reshape our definition of a living organism. With extraordinarily large and unusual genomes, giant viruses have highlighted the dynamic exchange of genetic material between host and pathogen. Moreover, there is a growing appreciation for the ancient viral fossil record present in the human genome, and the genomes of many other plants, fungi, and animals – suggesting that this virus-host interplay has been going on for a very, very long time. For this project, students will address this question head-on: “How do we define a living organism?” Students will investigate recent literature to collect data on newly discovered viruses with “stolen” host genes, and vice versa with the identification of new viral genes inserted into host genomes. Students will analyze these data and prepare a manuscript offering their theory on the interplay between hosts and viruses, and how these exchanges support or refute the inclusion of viruses as living organisms in the so-called “fourth domain of life.”

Bring back our pollinators!

An emerging challenge for ecological and environmental protection efforts is the loss of native pollinators (e.g., solitary bees, flower flies, wasps, moths, butterflies) from a particular ecosystem. Gardeners are introducing local pollinator-friendly plant species in their gardens to provide support for native pollinators in their natural environment. Many commonly grown fruit and vegetable flowering plant species are not necessarily indigenous to the ecosystem in which their gardens are constructed. Some gardeners are wondering if these non-native garden species can be repurposed for the role of attracting native pollinators. For this project, students will conduct a multi-week experiment in their own backyard, balcony, allotment, windowsill, or any outdoor space available for growing plants. Students will research their local pollinators and pollinator-friendly plant species to form an understanding of the natural ecosystem in which they are currently living. Students will then select a variety of native flowering plant species (i.e., not domesticated for crop/fruit production) and common household/garden flowering plants (i.e., common garden flowers, fruits, vegetables) to grow in their outdoor space. Students will observe their plants over 4-6 weeks to document pollinator attraction by plant species. Students will take pictures of pollinators and upload to the iNaturalist biodiversity app (supported by the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society) to document pollinator abundance and plant species preference. The students will complete the project with a written manuscript of their findings, and preliminary conclusions about which non-native plant species are optimal for attracting native pollinators.

Virus hunter

It is now easier and cheaper than ever to determine sequences of DNA and RNA from any organism on the planet. Each day, scientists upload raw sequencing data from their experiments into publicly available databases for anyone in the world to analyze. Most of these sequence datasets are collected from whole organisms (bacterial colonies, insects, entire plants, etc.), tissues or organs (tumor samples, blood, cell culture, etc.), or environmental samples (soil, ocean water, etc.). Unknowingly, many of these sequence datasets also contain hidden genome sequences for previously undiscovered viruses or other pathogens. In this project, students will utilize publicly available next generation sequencing databases (e.g., National Center for Biotechnology Information, NCBI) to mine for new viruses. Students will investigate the literature to identify DNA or RNA sequencing datasets of interest. In parallel, students will also highlight a particular virus or family of viruses to use as a starting point for their searches. Students will learn how to use existing viral genomes to probe online databases to search for new viral sequences, and how to operate web-based computational tools to reassemble virus genomes from the raw sequence data. Students will learn about the biology of their virus of interest and develop hypotheses about the origins of the identified sequences. The project will conclude with a written report of the identified viral sequence(s) and may be suitable for publication in an academic journal for viral genome resources (e.g., Archives of Virology, Virus Genes, Microbiology Resource Announcements).

Teaching experience

My prior teaching and mentorship experiences have primarily involved working with high school and undergraduate students in the lab as they pursue independent research projects. While I was a MS student at Texas A&M University, I led a laboratory course designed to familiarize undergraduate students with fundamental principles in microbiology and plant pathology. As a PhD student at Harvard, I was a TA for a biomedical grant writing course, with the goal of training first and second-year PhD students to prepare successful research proposals for National Institutes of Health (NIH) predoctoral fellowships. Additionally, I have been invited as a guest speaker/discussion leader for undergraduate and graduate courses at Texas A&M University, covering recent discoveries in the field of virology (discovery of “giant viruses”, SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development, etc.)

Credentials

Work experience

New England Biolabs (2022 - Current)
Postdoctoral Fellow
The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard (2021 - 2022)
Postdoctoral Associate
Harvard Medical School (2015 - 2021)
Graduate Research Fellow
Texas A&M University (2013 - 2015)
Graduate Research and Teaching Fellow

Education

Texas A&M University
BS Bachelor of Science (2013)
Bioenvironmental Sciences
Texas A&M University
MS Master of Science (2015)
Plant Pathology
Harvard University
PhD Doctor of Philosophy (2021)
Virology

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