On Monday March 16th, our first MD/PhD student, Ila Nimgaonkar, defended her PhD thesis titled, “Molecular Mechanisms Of The Hepatitis E Virus Life Cycle And Host Range.” Under rather ironic circumstances, the coronavirus pandemic forced Ila onto a virtual platform to present her years-long research on the molecular mechanisms of yet another RNA virus. But despite the disruptions, dozens of Ila’s lab mates, friends and family tuned in to watch her presentation from across New Jersey and beyond. Ila, we admire your stoicism and grace during a week of constant changes, and we look forward to a time we can (finally) celebrate your success in person!
Defending under social distance: Ila took the pandemic in stride by live-streaming her thesis presentation.
While working in the Ploss Lab, Ila was a prolific researcher, contributing to many important discoveries about hepatitis E virus and presenting her findings at conferences worldwide. In addition to her own research, she authored two reviews about HEV, mentored many people in the lab, and has been pivotal in shaping Ploss Lab culture over the years. We owe countless lab events, farewell parties, trivia games, photos, and website posts to Ila!
Congratulations to our newly minted Dr. Nimgaonkar! The Ploss Lab wishes you all the best as you return to Rutgers to finish the rest of your MD/PhD.