Graduate Students

Neha Arun is a Microbiology PhD candidate and Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA (F31) Fellow in the lab of Dr. Walther Mothes at Yale University. Her research focuses on broadly reactive strategies to eliminate the persistent reservoir of HIV-1-infected cells, which remains a major barrier to a cure. She investigates how antibodies recognizing the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) engage Fc-receptors on innate immune cells to trigger the clearance of infected cells. By examining the molecular features that initiate Fc-effector functions across different immune cell types, her work seeks to inform therapeutic strategies that optimize viral reservoir elimination. Prior to joining Yale, Neha was a Stamps Scholar at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She graduated summa cum laude in 2023 with a BS in Molecular & Cellular Biology, receiving Highest Distinction for her thesis, “Structural and biochemical mechanisms of HIV latency reactivation in monocytes, macrophages, and T-cells,” in the lab of Dr. Collin Kieffer. Her research is driven by a long-term commitment to developing accessible antiviral strategies by interrogating the virus-host interface.

PhD student in the Laurent-Rolle lab studying viral antagonism of host innate immune responses, SARS-CoV-2, alphaviruses, post-translational modifications, virus-mitochondria interactions.

Rebecca I. Colón Ríos (she/her) was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She pursued her undergraduate studies at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, where she majored in Industrial Microbiology. In her home institution, she worked on screening for pathogenic aerosols in the biology department and identifying environmental fungal interactions with bromeliads. Now, Rebecca is a fifth year Ph.D. candidate and NIAID F31 Fellow in the Microbiology Track of the BBS program. In Dr. Barbara Kazmierczak’s lab, she’s studying Acanthamoeba castellanii - Pseudomonas aeruginosa interactions. Rebecca strives to increase the representation of underrepresented scientists by organizing recruitment efforts as the Chair of the YBDIC Engagement Branch. In her spare time, Rebecca enjoys making pottery and baking.

Kristina graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a B.S. in Biochemistry & Biophysics. After earning her bachelor's degree, she worked in the laboratory of Dr. Deborah Hung at Massachusetts General Hospital where she studied the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. She is currently a graduate student in the Pi Lab and is investigating the formation of ferrosomes in Clostridioides difficile.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Jaime A. González-Hernández graduated from Pomona College in 2021 with a B.A. in Molecular Biology and a minor in Media Studies. Currently in his third year as an MD-PhD student, Jaime joined the Goodman lab to investigate the clinically impactful interactions between the gut microbiome and medical drugs for the development of more effective, personalized therapies. Outside of academic medicine, Jaime has enjoyed volunteering in HAVEN Free Clinic as an interpreter to serve underrepresented patients, watching both kinds of football (American football and soccer), and analyzing films and other forms of visual storytelling to broaden his perspective.