Vivian

PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate

Expertise

viruses, parasites, biology, immunology

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.

Stay out! History of Combating Infectious Diseases

Public health is constantly evolving, but what have we done previously to stop epidemics? How did different societies face different threats? In this project, students can pick an (infectious) disease they are interested in and compare ways different societies (of the same or different time period) tried to eliminate this threat. We will then work turning this question into a project! Can be video, review paper, etc.

Evolutionary Arms Race- Review of Host-Pathogen Interactions

Most pathogens have been evolving with different host species for a long time. How has this interaction affected both sides? Students will choose a pathogen of interest and one of its hosts to do a review on the way hosts have evolved to stop this particular pathogen and how the pathogen has evolved to evade the host immune response. Review can be done in different forms- video, paper, powerpoint, etc. Prerequisites: Basic understanding of the theory of evolution and basic biology

Infectious Disease Review

How does your favorite pathogen actually work? In this project, students will pick an infectious disease of interest and do a review of scientific literature on the pathogen's replication cycle, how it interacts with its host(s), and how it spreads. End project can be a review paper or different form!