Dr. Raquel Binder is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, seeking motivated and detail-oriented students with at least one of the following three skills:
- Some prior laboratory experience—particularly in basic laboratory techniques such as pipetting and handling biological samples, and ideally with molecular techniques (PCR assays). We will be processing imported human and animal samples, extracting DNA and RNA, and screening for viruses using molecular assays. Note, the students will receive appropriate biosafety and laboratory training before beginning work.
- Data analysis skills. No need for in-depth biostatistics knowledge but basic R skills (or other platform) to analyze a small data set of 100 participants and ability to consolidate databases is necessary. Note, the students will receive necessary human subject (HS) training before beginning work. The HS training will depend on IRB determination.
- Writing peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts (i.e., will receive co-authorship based on contribution). The laboratory work and data analysis results will be written up and published in collaboration with the DRC team. Depending on existing expertise, this can be as lead or support writer.
While I do not have the funds to compensate the student, this is an excellent opportunity for someone who is interested in Global Public Health and eager to strengthen their skills in molecular virology, biosafety, and scientific writing while contributing to a flexible and exiting research project.
Study Description:
This study is a pilot study funded through the Worcester Foundation and primarily aims to determine coronavirus (CoV) incidence and risk factors for infection among humans and (peri)domestic animals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Experienced field veterinarians on our team in the DRC visited rural, semi-urban and urban households and small farms to collected information on basic demographics, health, travel, and contact frequency between humans and animals. The team also collected the following biological samples: blood, oral/nasal, and fecal samples. Now the collected survey data needs to be analyzed, and the samples screened. Hence, we will do DNA/RNA extractions and screen for viruses.