Krystal Charley**
-Scholar-
Cohort: 2017-2018
Faculty Mentor: Steven Bradfute
Department: Global Health
Home Institution: University of New Mexico
Research Interests: Virology, Microbiology, Immunology
Scholar Description
Hello, my name is Krystal Charley and I am a woman of the Diné (Navajo) people. I am of the Coyote Pass clan, born for the Black Streak Wood People clan, my maternal grandparents are Under His Cover clan, and my paternal grandparents are Tangle clan. I graduated Fall 2016 from UNM with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and minor in Chemistry. During my undergraduate years, I had the opportunity to have been supported by an NIH IMSD program, which has allowed me to work in Dr. Diana Northup’s laboratory. My research project in the Northup lab focused on deep cave bacteria found in environments of extreme nutrient limitation and hypothesized how life could exist on extraterrestrial bodies. I am currently working in Dr. Steven Bradfute’s laboratory studying filoviruses, specifically ebolaviruses and marburgviruses. Filoviruses contain the glycoprotein GP on the surface that is heavily glycosylated. We are looking at how differential GP glycosylation affects the immune response in vaccination and how we can improve vaccine development for filoviruses. Outside of the lab, I enjoy working out, watching movies, eating lots of good food, spending time with my family, and reading books/articles related to infectious diseases.
