UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #731

Submission information
Submission Number: 731
Submission ID: 14281
Submission UUID: 0f6a7449-3e68-4600-bb89-995780fa1e24

Created: Thu, 08/08/2024 - 08:17 PM
Completed: Thu, 08/08/2024 - 08:17 PM
Changed: Mon, 08/26/2024 - 11:43 AM

Remote IP address: 217.180.196.0
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No
Primary Research Mentor Name Ashwanth C. Francis
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns
When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific? Prof.
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) acfrancis@fsu.edu
Position Title Faculty
FSU College (if applicable) Arts and Sciences
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation Department of Biological Sciences and the Institute of Molecular Biophysics
Headshot (optional)
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above) Dr. Ahinsa Ranaweera
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific? Dr.
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) ar23cr@fsu.edu
Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable)
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific?
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated)
Title of the Project Elucidating the trafficking mechanisms of HIV-1 into the nucleus
Project Keywords Imaging, biochemistry, molecular biology, machine learning
Are you currently looking for research assistants? Yes
Number of Research Assistants Needed 2
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s) Physics, Computer Sciences, and Biology
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation?
Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s): In-person
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work? 10-20 hours a week.
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work? Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Overall Research Project Description We are interested in understanding how the HIV-1 capsid enters the nucleus of living cells. We use fluorescent viruses and live-cell confocal microscopy to visualize virus transport. We are looking for research assistants interested in contributing to these research goals. The student will be responsible to work with a postdoc, graduate student or the PI, help with cellular-imaging and analysis. A background in Physics, Computer Science will become very useful to complete the tasks and also contribute to the research. Background in biology and chemistry is additionally beneficial.
Research Tasks Literature Review, Data Collection, Analysis, data Curation and interpretation. Use of softwares, including coding in python, machine learning and developin AI models will be part of one of the projects.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: A strong background in Physics and Computer Science, coding including python scripting is desired.
Mentoring Philosophy My past experiences in India, Italy, and the US have taught me that patience and learning through adaptation are powerful tools to effectively communicate with a diverse group of people. I encompass this in mentoring by being available to my mentees and listening to their problems. My goal as a mentor is to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable, confident and supported, so that they can focus on science. I meet with my graduate students and postdocs on a weekly structured one-on-one basis, and with undergraduates once a month when we discuss progress in reaching their research goals. However, I often end up discussing science with them daily. I encourage inclusivity by maintaining a lab environment free of judgment, and often devise strateggies for team building. Research projects in our lab are often tied to students and fellows at multiple levels to foster collaboration.
Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable): https://francislab.biophysics.fsu.edu
Please add any additional information here (if applicable):
Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable? No
Roundtable times and Zoom links
Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation Yes
Materials Grant Yes
UROP Poster Presentation Yes
Year 2024
update url https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=LItdvkH3yRSGJZksZ9UIx38HthmrT1I90QiOn9acc1M