Jonathan Cox, Ph.D. January 2014, page 1

Jonathan Cox, Ph.D.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Department of Entomology of Agriculture & Life Sciences of 410 Forbes, 1140 E South Campus Tucson, AZ 85721 Phone: (203) 435-5610 E-mail: [email protected]

EDUCATION

2010 Ph.D., Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Department of Epidemiology, , New Haven, CT 2006 M.Phil., Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Department of Epidemiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 2002 B.S., Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, , Tucson, AZ, Major: Molecular and Cellular Biology 2002 B.A., Department of Geography and Regional Development, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, Major: Geography

DISSERTATION

2010 Investigations into mosquito-borne flavivirus control through the exploration of molecular and ecological interactions, Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation, Yale University, Erol Fikrig, Chair

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Pima Community College, Tucson, AZ 2013 General Biology for Majors I (BIO181N) Adjunct Instructor, 20 undergraduate students Taught a combined lecture and laboratory course designed to introduce college level biology concepts and practical laboratory skills to undergraduate students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in science.

Jonathan Cox, Ph.D. January 2014, page 2

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 2012 Becoming a Science Researcher (non-credit) Group Leader, 10 undergraduate students Led undergraduate student researchers in biweekly discussions regarding general research practices including keeping a journal, preparing and presenting a poster, and ethical considerations in science research.

Yale University, New Haven, CT 2007 GIS Applications in Epidemiology and Public Health (BIS511) Teaching Assistant, ~ 20 graduate students Directed practical laboratory section aimed at familiarizing students with ArcGIS software and common practices in GIS as it relates to Epidemiology and Public Health. Students were guided through a course project of their own choosing. 2007 Vector Ecology Field Study (non-credit) Co-developer/Co-manager, 10 students Designed and directed mosquito field collections in Dominica, a Caribbean island with sporadic but increasing in frequency dengue epidemics, to describe the island mosquito fauna. Met with government public health officials and aided in the training of local vector control workers. I was interviewed for a national news broadcast aimed at educating the public about dengue virus vectors and our work on the island. 2006 GIS Applications in Epidemiology and Public Health (BIS511) Teaching Assistant, ~ 20 graduate students 2006 Hospital Epidemiology (EMD530) Teaching Assistant, ~ 30 graduate students Led discussion section and assisted in homework and exam development and grading. 2005 GIS Applications in Epidemiology and Public Health (BIS511) Teaching Assistant, ~ 20 graduate students 2005 Hospital Epidemiology (EMD530) Teaching Assistant, ~ 30 graduate students 2004 GIS Applications in Epidemiology and Public Health (BIS511) Teaching Assistant, ~ 20 graduate students

Guest Lectures 2013 Infectious Disease Epidemiology (CPH660), University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ ~ 20 graduate students “Immunology – A Brief Overview” Facilitated interactive discussion illustrating the importance of having a working knowledge of immunology as an epidemiologist

Jonathan Cox, Ph.D. January 2014, page 3

2010 Introduction to Epidemiology (CPH309), University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ ~120 undergraduate students “Dengue virus: in the field and at the bench” Provided appropriate background information on dengue virus prior to leading students to design a case control study devised to answer a question they formulated based on the background information presented.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 2011-current Research Associate (Competitive), PERT (Arizona Research Labs) Fellow Established protocols and obtained the appropriate approvals to initiate dengue virus research (BSL2) utilizing tissue culture and live mosquito vectors in the Department of Entomology. Dengue virus vector competence is being examined under a range of experimental conditions which may help to explain the risk of dengue virus migration into southern Arizona. These studies have also been used as a platform for the training and mentoring of several undergraduate students.

Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 2010-2011 Postdoctoral Fellow (Competitive), Cowles Postdoctoral Fellow Established protocols for infecting a humanized mouse model of dengue fever via the bite of infected mosquitoes (clean room/BSL2) and demonstrated that dengue disease is more severe in the humanized mouse model when dengue virus is inoculated in conjunction with mosquito saliva. In a separate study, demonstrated that dengue virus binding to the Ae. aegypti midgut is independent of the viral genotype.

Yale University, New Haven, CT 2002-2010 Graduate Student Under BSL2 and BSL3 laboratory conditions, investigated the differential protein and gene expression of mosquito cell culture and adult mosquito infected with flaviviruses, including dengue virus, West Nile virus, and yellow fever virus. To elucidate a function for a specific subset of target genes identified by differential expression, transient knockdown of specific target genes was performed through the development of a technique whereby synthesized siRNAs were directly injected into the thorax of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes were then infected to determine if a knockdown in a specific endogenous gene alters the vector competence of the mosquito vector. Jonathan Cox, Ph.D. January 2014, page 4

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, San Juan, Puerto Rico 2004 Biology Laboratory Technician Continued a spatial analysis of container breeding mosquito distribution along an urban/rural gradient in San Juan, Puerto Rico following my 2003 collections. In addition, mosquitoes throughout northern Puerto Rico were collected, identified, and sorted to identify the presence of West Nile virus on the island. This resulted in a co-written internal report on WNV in mosquitoes in northern Puerto Rico.

2003 Visiting Researcher Designed a field collection protocol and directed the collection of mosquitoes and environmental field data from 28 sites across an urban/rural gradient in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana 2002 Trainee (Competitive), Minority International Research Training Fellow, at Birmingham Anopheline mosquitoes were collected from housing structures in nine remote villages in Ghana’s Gold Coast. Mosquitoes were identified to species by morphological and molecular methods, assessed for Wuchereria bancrofti infection by microscopy, and assessed for Plasmodium by PCR. Co-infection prevalence did not deviate from expected based on single infection prevalence, indicating that infection by one parasite did not alter the risk of infection by the other parasite.

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 1998-2002 Undergraduate Researcher Beckman Scholar (2000-2001) (Competitive) While learning basic laboratory and scientific practices, I examined the role of olfactory bulb development in Xenopus lavies frogs by synthesizing and injecting a distal-less homeobox gene into the developing embryo and monitoring the morphology and expression of developmentally important Pax genes.

2000-2001 Undergraduate Researcher NASA Space Grant Undergraduate Intern (2000) (Competitive) Obtained, cleaned, and organized temporal weather data for southern Arizona and attempted to identify environmental risk factors associated with human Coccidioides immitus infection in Tucson, Arizona.

Jonathan Cox, Ph.D. January 2014, page 5

SERVICE

Mentoring 2014-current Cassandra Sekich Undergraduate Student Research Mentor , Tucson, AZ 2012-current Chioma Oringanje Graduate Student Research Mentor University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 2013-current Jacob Blacutt Undergraduate Student Research Mentor University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 2013-current Branden Lau Undergraduate Student Research Mentor University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 2013-current Juan Pablo Rodriguez Undergraduate Student Mentor, AZA Mentor Program University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 2012-current Kacy Smith Undergraduate Student Research Mentor University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 2012 Danielle Livingston Undergraduate Student Research Mentor (graduated 2012) University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 2010 Madeline Frazier Undergraduate Student Research Mentor A&M, College Station, TX 2010 Judge research projects of elementary school age students John Jay Science and Engineering Academy Science Fair, San Antonio, TX

Professional memberships American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Society for Vector Ecology The Entomological Society of America The Connecticut Entomological Society American Society for Microbiology

Manuscript Reviewer PLoS One Journal of Medical Entomology

AWARDS 2010-2011 PERT Fellow [3 years] (salary and research expenses), Center for Insect Science, University of Arizona 2012-2015 Cowles Fellow [2years] (salary), Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research 2007-2008 McDougal Fellow for Academic and Student Life – Social Fellow ($4,100), Yale University Jonathan Cox, Ph.D. January 2014, page 6 2003-2005 CDC Ph.D. Fellowship in vector-borne diseases (tuition and stipend), Yale University 2004 “Ecology and Population Dynamics of Dengue Virus Vectors in Puerto Rico”, Tinker Field Research Grant ($1,735), Yale Center for International and Area Studies and the Tinker Foundation, Inc. Award, Yale University 2003 “Ecology and Population Dynamics of Dengue Virus Vectors in Puerto Rico”, CDC M.P.H. Fellowship in vector-borne diseases ($4,300), Yale University 2002 “Malaria and filariasis coinfection in Anopheles mosquitoes in the Cape Coast”, Minority International Research Training Award (travel, stipend, research costs), University of Alabama at Birmingham 2002 Outstanding Student Award, Department of Geography and Regional Development, University of Arizona 2001 “Climate Variability and Valley Fever”, NASA Space Grant Undergraduate Intern (stipend), University of Arizona 2000-2001 “Roles for Secreted Signaling Molecules in the Development of the Olfactory Placode”, Beckman Scholar Award ($17,600), University of Arizona

PUBLICATIONS

Peer Reviewed Publications 1. Cox J, Mota J, Sukupolvi-Petty S, Diamond MS, Rico-Hesse R. 2012. “Mosquito bite delivery of dengue virus enhances immunogenicity and pathogenesis in humanized mice.” Journal of Virology . 86(14): 7637-4769. 2. Colpitts TM, Cox J , Vanlandingham DL, Feitosa FM, Gheng C, Kurscheid S, Wang P, Krishnan MN, Higgs S, and Fikrig E. 2011. “Alterations in the Aedes aegypti transcriptome during infection with West Nile, dengue and yellow fever viruses." PLoS Pathogens . 7(9): e1002189. 3. Colpitts TM, Cox J , Nguyen A, Feitosa F, Krishnan M, and Fikrig E. 2011. “Use of a tandem affinity purification assay to detect interactions between West Nile and dengue viral proteins and proteins of the mosquito vector.” Virology . 417(1): 179-187. 4. Cox J , Brown HE, Rico-Hesse R. 2011. “Variation in vector competence for dengue viruses does not depend on mosquito midgut binding affinity.” PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases . 5(5): e1172. 5. Brown HE, Doyle MS, Cox J , Eisen RJ, Nasci RS. 2011 “The effect of spatial and temporal subsetting on Culex tarsalis abundance models - a design for the sensible reduction of vector surveillance.” Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association . 27(2): 120-128. 6. Cheng G, Cox J , Wang P, Krishnan MN, Dai J, Qian F, Anderson JF, Fikrig E. 2010. “A C-type lectin collaborates with a CD45 phosphatase homolog to facilitate West Nile virus infection of mosquitoes.” Cell . 142 (5): 714-725. 7. Bai F, Town T, Pradhan D, Cox J , Ashish, Ledizet M, Anderson JF, Flavell RA, Kreuger JK, Koski RA, Fikrig E. 2007. “Antiviral peptides targeting the West Nile envelope protein.” Journal of Virology . 81 (4): 2047-2055. 8. Cox J , Grillet ME, Ramos OM, Amador M, Barrera R. 2007. “Habitat segregation of dengue vectors along an urban environmental gradient.” American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 76: 820-826. Jonathan Cox, Ph.D. January 2014, page 7

GRANTS

Current Grants Source Period of Funding Title Funds Role Summary Center for Insect Science, University of Arizona (Reihle) 8/1/2013-6/30/2014 Assessing the rate of dengue virus development in the $12,000 Mosquito Aedes aegypti Co-investigator The goal of this project is to generate pilot data on the extrinsic incubation period for the primary dengue virus vector.

Completed Grants Source Period of Funding Title Funds Role Summary Texas Biomedical Forum (Cox) 12/1/2010-11/30/2011 Mosquito saliva modulators of dengue virus $35,000 pathogenesis Principle investigator The goal of this project was to provide evidence for the role of mosquito saliva in the progression of dengue virus infection in a humanized mouse model of disease. The data generated during this study resulted in one peer reviewed publication and supporting preliminary data for a successful NIH R01 submission [Rico-Hesse].

Pending Grants Source Period of Funding Title Funds Role Summary NIH 1R01Al112565-01 (Riehle) 7/1/2014-6/30/2019 Ae. aegypti vectorial capacity in dengue endemic and $1,893,750 non-endemic areas Co-investigator The goal of this project is to compare the vectorial capacity between dengue vectors in southern Arizona through central Mexico. This study provides insights into the risk of endemic dengue in southern Arizona.