Lily X
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at Stanford University
Expertise
Biology, Microbiology, Viruses, Microscopy, CRISPR, Proteins, RNA
Bio
I'm a PhD candidate studying Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University. My research areas are at the intersection of molecular virology and structural biology: I study dengue virus and enteroviruses by using CRISPR screens to identify host proteins that are important for viral infection. I use microscopy techniques like cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to further characterize the protein structure of host factors to study these host-pathogen interactions. Outside of the lab, I am passionate about outreach and mentorship: I mentor students from grades K-12 in STEM coursework, independent study, and college applications, and I mentor undergraduate and graduate students in graduate applications, fellowship applications, and research proposal writing. For fun, I love music - I like to play piano and write music. In my free time, you can find me reading books, petting dogs, or running.Project ideas
Visualizing virus structures with microscopy techniques
Viruses have caused pandemics and epidemics that have impacted millions globally, especially with the spread of Mpox, SARS-CoV-2, MERS, SARS, Zika virus, Ebola virus, and HIV in recent decades. But what do these viruses look like? What do we know about the protein structures of viruses? Various microscopy techniques, ranging from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and tomography (cryo-ET), have been used to visualize viruses - both inside and outside of cells. You would choose a virus of choice and review the literature to determine what types of imaging techniques have been used to study this virus's structure, what each technique has revealed about this virus's mechanism of infection, and what questions remain regarding this virus's protein structure. You would synthesize your findings in a scientific research paper that shows how each microscopy technique provides new information about this virus's structure, and what information can be leveraged from the combination of these microscopy techniques.