What kind of research does your lab focus on generally?
We study mechanisms of HIV persistence and develop HIV cure strategies using single-cell multi-omics, bioinformatics, immunology, virology, CRISPR screens, and drug screens on clinical samples from HIV-infected individuals.
How difficult was it making the switch from working in the lab on campus to working remotely? What were/are some of the challenges you're facing?
We miss the stimulating discussions in the lab when we can bounce off ideas anytime when we frequently bump into each other. We are "itchy" not being able to work on our favorite wet-bench experiments in the lab. We have many great ideas on studying HIV which have to be postponed.
How are you staying connected with your co-workers from your lab?
Every day, each of our lab members needs to reply to a group email answering questions about their life. Here are a few of them:
-"What's your favorite HIV paper from last year?"
-"Who's your role model in science?"
-"What's your favorite stress-relieving activity?"
-"What's your alternative job if you were not a scientist?"
In addition to a weekly group meeting and one-on-one meetings, this allows us to check if everyone is fine during the pandemic and to know more about each other.
What are your biggest worries concerning your ongoing research/future research?
I worry that the pause in wet-bench research, which we heavily rely on, would affect the career plans for our lab members. I worry that some of our important research in HIV is slowed down, which may not be fair for HIV-infected individuals who continue to suffer from this chronic viral infection before, during, and after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Are there any advantages working remotely?
We practice scientific writing and bioinformatic analysis a lot! Each of our lab member is learning a new bioinformatic analysis, from Python to single-cell transcriptome analysis. We published a paper during the shut-down! We actually organized a mock study section in the lab one month from now. All lab members need to submit a fellowship proposal (in F31/F32 format). We will run a confidential grant review in May, in exactly the same way as NIH study sections: all fellowship proposals will be reviewed confidentially by 3 anonymous reviewers (within the lab). This allows our lab members not only to come up with a ready-to-submit fellowship proposal but also learn about the grant review process.
Do you have any words of wisdom/message for fellow scientists for getting thru this difficult time?
In our original fast-paced research, we frequently don't have the time to stop and think. Now it is the best time to digest our previous findings and make creative plans for future directions.
We as researchers are privileged to understand the science behind this pandemic. We can think about ways to contribute - from research, public education, advocating for important policies.