Emily Leavitt

Ph.D. Student

Research Topic

Emily’s research focuses on the HIV Vpr protein, including studying its function in degrading diverse host proteins to modify the epigenetic environment of the cell, and its evolutionary conservation. The Vpr protein is essential for replication in macrophages, the primary source of HIV latency and persistence, and detailed studies on this viral accessory protein may reveal insights for novel therapeutic targets.

Education

B.S. in Microbiology - Brigham Young University, 2020

Current Program: Integrated Biomedical Sciences (IBMS) PhD program