Natalie Jones Slivinski

I got my master's degree in Infection, Immunity, & Human Disease with an emphasis on virology; I finished with Distinction in 2016. Now I focus on mechanisms of Zika virus, but I love studying human disease in general. I also love to learn about wildlife biology, ecology, anthropology, marine biology, antibiotic resistance, disease evolution, and molecular diagnostics. When I'm feeling adventurous I also love to read about geology, climate science, and developmental neuroscience.

I've been in research for about 4 years and counting. My master's research in the UK focused on Chikungunya virus and its ability to manipulate host ion channels. I studied the effects of different FDA-approved drugs both in human liver cells and in mosquito cells (Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne virus). Now I'm doing similar research on Zika virus in my PI's lab in Seattle.

I think there's a big disconnect between scientific research and the public, and I'd like to help bridge that gap. Science is amazing and wonderful, and at the heart of so many issues our world faces every day. Climate change, disease outbreaks, mental health disorders, antibiotic resistance, you name it. We, as a scientific community, owe it to the rest of the world to make science accessible to everyone, both in the media and through science education, both in and out of the classroom.