Researching Viral Evolution at the Human-Animal Interface
I study how zoonotic viruses evolve to jump between species through intermediate host animals. My work lies at the intersection of molecular virology, evolutionary biology, protein biochemistry, and One Health. By combining lab experiments with computational tools, I investigate how molecular changes in viral proteins affect host range, immune evasion, and spillover risk.
Zoonotic Virus Evolution
I am a PhD student in the Starr Lab in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Utah School of Medicine. In the Starr lab, we study molecular interactions at the Virus–Host interface.
Learn more about the Starr Lab link below.
A One Health Perspective
One Health is the idea that human, animal, and environmental health are deeply interconnected. My work contributes to this framework by exploring how viruses move between species and environments, integrating molecular biochemistry within an ecological context to better understand the evolutionary dynamics shaping viral evolution across species.
Goal: what we can we learn that could potentially help prepare or prevent the next spillover.