Andreanguyen

ANDREA NGUYEN Position: PhD Student Institution: Monash University, Clayton, VIC Australia Contact: [email protected] RESEARCH INTERESTS: I am a first year PhD student at Monash University, Clayton under the supervision of A/Prof Stephanie Gras and co-supervised by Dr Emma Grant and Dr Christopher Szeto. I am passionate about viral immunity with an emphasis on influenza. My PhD studies will unearth influenza epitopes that could represent new exciting therapeutic targets. Influenza is a highly infectious disease caused by the influenza virus and previous research showed that Indigenous Australians are vulnerable to develop severe cases of influenza infection. Indigenous Australians are statistically more likely to be hospitalised due to influenza infection than non-Indigenous Australians, despite only making up a small portion (2.5%) of the Australian total population. The underlying immunological reasons behind this is largely due to the distinct Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) profile of Indigenous Australians, much of which influenza epitopes are unknown. Hence, my PhD will be investigating and comparing influenza epitopes in Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians utilising various immunology and biochemistry approaches. The possible impact of my studies could provide a greater understanding as to why Indigenous Australians have a higher mortality and morbidity rate as a result of contracting influenza than non-Indigenous Australians and help inform the development of new anti-influenza vaccines. EDUCATION & TRAINING: 2019 Monash University PhD – Gras Laboratory “Investigating new Influenza epitopes” Techniques: Molecular cloning, protein expression and purification, protein crystallisation, X-ray crystallography, protein structure determination, surface plasmon resonance, protein stability assay cellular assays, flow cytometry 2016 La Trobe University Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours) – Foley Laboratory “I-bodies: Single domain antibodies that antagonise TRPV4” Techniques: Protein expression and purification, ELISA, cell culture, flow cytometry, immunofluorescent microscopy, cellular assays 2013-2015 La Trobe University Bachelor of Biomedical Science EMPLOYMENT RECORD: 2019 Monash University Teaching Associate – Molecular and cellular biology (MCB2011) Responsibilities: Demonstrating practicals and tutorials, marking student tests and assignments, providing feedback to students, attending regular demonstrator meetings 2017 - 2019 Monash University Research Assistant –A/Prof Gras’ group (Rossjohn Laboratory) Responsibilities: ordering of lab stock, planning and performing experiments, troubleshooting, training staff/students, keeping stock in the lab. For a short time I was also responsible for the Monash Crystallisation Platform (MMCF). Techniques: Molecular cloning, protein expression in bacterial system, protein purification, protein crystallisation, X-ray crystallography, protein structures determination, surface plasmon resonance. 2015 – Present Melbourne Pathology Phlebotomist Responsibilities: Performing blood collection and ECGs on patients in a hospital setting SCIENCE COMMUNICATION: 2018 Monash University Sensory Scientific Exhibition and Discovery Day Volunteer; assisting vision impaired individuals to various stations, registration duties, explaining basic scientific concepts to individual attendees 2018 Monash University International Women’s Day Volunteer; supervision of high school students in a laboratory environment, explaining and demonstrating basic crystallographic techniques AWARDS/SCHOLARSHIPS: 2019-2022 Biomedicine Discovery Institute PhD Scholarship REFEREES A/Prof Stephanie Gras Dr Emma Grant PhD Supervisor PhD Co-supervisor Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Phone: 9902 9307 Phone: 9905 4662 .

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