Jeanine Gezelle

NSF GRFP fellow

I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Integrated Program at Columbia. In the Steckelberg lab, I study RNA structures that resist exonuclease degradation. My background is in the biology of parasites, first studying tRNA processing in Trypanosoma brucei at Ohio State, then completing a post-baccalaureate fellowship at NIH/NIAID, where I studied the kinetics of malaria parasite nutrient acquisition. I am fascinated by viruses for the same reason I am by parasites: pathogens that require a host to survive can reveal so many unique regulatory mechanisms that teach us about basic biology. Here in the Steckelberg lab, I’m excited to be revisiting the RNA biochemistry concepts that originally pulled me into the research field. Outside of the lab, I like to see live music, play with my dog, sit on patios, and run all around the city.

contact: jgg2144[at]cumc.columbia.edu