Research Focus: 

Scientific History: Julia Flynn graduated from Brown University with a degree in Biochemistry. Her undergraduate thesis work involved characterizing mutants of the chaperone GroEL in Jorg Martin's laboratory. She received her Ph.D. from MIT in Tania Baker's lab investigating the role of the AAA+ protease, ClpXP, in regulating cellular protein turnover. Currently, Julia uses EMPIRIC to determine the fitness landscape of all single mutations of Hsp90 under various environmental conditions to provide insight into both the function and evolution of the chaperone. In her free time, Julia enjoys petting her cats and reading books in the sun.

Fun Fact: 

Lab Location: LRB 960 D
Phone: 508-856-4418

Research Focus: 

Scientific History: Gily graduated and received her Ph.D. from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel where she studied metal binding peptides in the water fern Azolla with Elisha Tel-Or. Her lab project involves investigating the correlation between partially active mutants of HIV-1 protease, identified by viral screening using the EMPIRIC method, with their function in vitro, using a variety of enzymatic assays. Aside from scientific endeavors, she loves summer and sunny days which often give her time to indulge in the pleasures of reading and swimming.

Fun Fact:

Lab Location: LRB 960 C
Phone: 508-856-4418

Research Focus: 

Scientific History: 

Fun Fact:

Lab Location: LRB 960
Phone: 508-856-4418

Research Focus: 

Scientific History: Gily graduated and received her Ph.D. from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel where she studied metal binding peptides in the water fern Azolla with Elisha Tel-Or. Her lab project involves investigating the correlation between partially active mutants of HIV-1 protease, identified by viral screening using the EMPIRIC method, with their function in vitro, using a variety of enzymatic assays. Aside from scientific endeavors, she loves summer and sunny days which often give her time to indulge in the pleasures of reading and swimming.

Fun Fact:

Lab Location: LRB 960 E
Phone: 508-856-4418

Research Focus: 

Scientific History: 

For his PhD, Mohan Somasundaran investigated protein-ligand interactions of sialic acid binding lectin (Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Calcutta and Stevens Institute of Technology, NJ). His postdoctoral studies were on lysosomal storage diseases (Washington University, St. Louis), and on HIV-1 cytopathology (Worcester Foundation/UMass Chan Medical School). He continued as faculty at UMass Chan Medical School to pursue molecular virology projects focusing on genotypic and phenotypic factors of cell-entry, replication and donor-to-recipient transmission of HIV, EBV, CMV and emerging infectious human pathogens (SARS-CoV). He was the Director of BSL-3 Core Virus Lab, and is member of UMass IBC. His research interests are to: 

1. Develop new molecular, cellular and molecular virology techniques for application in various research and translational projects specifically related to HIV-1, Influenza virus

1. • Reverse genetics assays
   • Structure-function assays for HIV-proteins and host-cell restriction (Apobec3) proteins
   • Structure-based drug design
   • Pyrosequencing of viral genomes
   • Virus detection and quantification assays
   • Point of Care early diagnostic assays for human pathogens
2. Utilize state-of-the-art structural biology techniques (i.e. Cryo-EM/ET) and interface with virology techniques to investigate virus structure vs infectivity, replication, evolution/fitness of Influenza (IAV) and HIV-1

Fun Fact: .

Lab Location: LRB 960 D
Phone: 508-856-4408