UROP Project

Imaging, biochemistry, molecular biology, machine learning
Research Mentor: Prof. Ashwanth C. Francis,
Department, College, Affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences and the Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: acfrancis@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Dr. Dr. Ahinsa Ranaweera
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: ar23cr@fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Physics, Computer Sciences, and Biology
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10-20 hours a week. ,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable

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.

Additional Information


Link to Publications

https://francislab.biophysics.fsu.edu
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