Fellows

Tricia Barnard

Infectious Diseases

I am a Postdoc at the Stanford Pandemic Preparedness Hub, working with Catherine Blish in the Department of Medicine - Division of Infectious Diseases & Geographic Medicine. We are using experimental and computational methods to investigate how the immune response to coronaviruses begins in the first hours following infection in single cells. This work will enable us to understand how protective immune responses develop to coronavirus infection and identify shared features of host responses that can be targeted for therapeutic intervention for the next coronavirus pandemic.

Izabela Mauricio Rezende

Infectious Diseases

Mentor: Jason Andrews

I currently am a Postdoc at Stanford Pandemic Preparedness Hub, working with Jason Andrews and his lab team. We are using genomic data to understand the potential viruses at risk of pandemic spread and how some viruses can lead to large outbreaks or pandemics, as we just experienced with SARS-Co-2. Using disease modeling, epidemiological, and phylogenetic analysis, we study the genomic evolution and transmission dynamics of H5N1 avian influenza A after 2020. The opportunity to work in this new Stanford Hub connects to my future goal to continue working with emerging and endemic diseases, pandemic preparedness, and early warning system for public health policymakers, transitioning from scientific knowledge to field actions.

Manjari Mishra

Infectious Diseases

Mentor: Einav Lab

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Stanford Pandemic Preparedness Hub, working with Shirit Einav in the Department of Medicine - Division of Infectious Diseases & Geographic Medicine. Our research employs cutting-edge technologies, ranging from high-end microscopy, Cryo-EM, to multi-OMICS, to explore the selective targeting of viral lipid membranes by peptides/peptoids. This targeted approach aims to offer a secure and effective broad-spectrum antiviral coverage with a high resistance barrier. Our work contributes valuable insights into host-virus interactions throughout various stages of the virus life cycle. In the long term, this translational research is poised to advance the development of a novel strategy to combat multiple viral infections, including newly emerging viral pathogens, thus enhancing our preparedness for future pandemics. This innovative approach has the potential to serve as a primary treatment method upon viral emergence and, once available, could be combined with direct-acting antivirals and/or host-targeted approaches.

Matthew Turner

Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

Mentor: James Holland Jones

I am a Postdoc with the Stanford Pandemic Preparedness Hub, working with James Holland Jones in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. My Pandemic Preparedness project is to develop computer simulations of the evolution and spread of disease variants, such as the omicron COVID-19 variant, in different social networks. If we better understand how diseases evolve and spread in controlled, simulated social contexts, we can better predict and prepare for the evolution and spread of new variants in the real world.