Jonathan Joyce

He/Him

I am gay and I am a neurovirologist.//

 

I am a graduate student in translational biology working toward a PhD that blends infectious disease research and neuroscience. My primary research interest focuses primarily on infectious disease and vaccinology. During my undergrad, I worked in a medical entomology and arbovirology lab where we investigated the relationship between the La Crosse virus and its mosquito vector. After graduation and a stent in private sector biotech companies I went to graduate school for a degree in medical microbiology/biochemistry. Since one master’s degree did not seem like enough, I went back to graduate school for a master’s degree in public health focused on infectious diseases during which I helped conduct research to determine the replicative niche of Zika virus in men following infection. I also helped conduct research in establishing a guinea pig model of Zika virus infection. After graduation I decided to take the leap and apply for a PhD program. Recently, during my PhD, I have been working with a pharmaceutical company to test the safety and efficacy of a live-attenuated vaccine against herpes simplex virus type 2. Currently, my lab and I are transitioning to begin work on the SARS-CoV-2 virus to determine its impact on the nervous system.