Graduate Education

Q&A with graduate student Jimena Ruiz

Jimena Ruiz is a first-generation college student from Los Angeles who is pursuing a PhD in Molecular Biosciences from WSU’s School of Molecular Biosciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Jimena is investigating the influences of mitochondrial stress and lipids on dietary-induced ferroptosis, which is associated with neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.

Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine PhD student Jimena Ruiz poses for a photo in her lab.

Q&A with graduate student Albina Makio

Graduate student Albina Makio is studying how the infectious herpes simplex virus invades the cells of its host. It is research that could ultimately lead to new treatments and vaccines to target the virus, which is present in nearly half of the world’s population.

Albina Makio holds a vial of herpes simplex virus that she uses in her research on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, as she poses for a photo in her lab at Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine in Pullman.

Q&A with graduate student Stephanie Johnson

Stephanie Johnson is leading research at WSU’s Paul G. Allen School of Global Health aimed at exploring how policies at large institutions and health care facilities contribute to the spread of infectious diseases. Stephanie is working toward a doctorate in Biomedical Sciences – Immunology and Infectious Diseases,

Q&A with graduate student Shannon Allen Whiles

Graduate student Shannon Allen Whiles has been leading research at WSU that could lead to new treatments for a highly infectious bacteria, Francisella tularensis, that can cause severe illness and even death. Shannon recently completed a doctorate in Biomedical Sciences – Immunology and Infectious Diseases, a research-intensive program designed to train students in immunology, host-pathogen interactions, and population biology of bacterial, parasitic, and viral infectious diseases in animals and humans.

Shannon Allen Whiles is pictured in the lab.