By: Kathryn Russo, Ph.D. & Adela Chlastakova, Ph.D.

The NIAID 18th Annual Fellows Workshop, held on December 11–12, 2024, celebrated the exceptional research conducted by NIAID's predoctoral, postdoctoral, research, and clinical fellows. The event featured over sixty dynamic presentations, showcasing cutting-edge scientific work. In addition to the research presentations, the workshop included professional development sessions designed to enhance key scientific and career skills for early-career researchers.

Day 1 Synopsis—Showcasing Research and Fostering Collaboration 

The NIAID 18th Annual Fellows Workshop was held on Bethesda’s Main Campus on December 11 and 12, 2024. The first day consisted of nearly 70 poster presentations from NIAID predoctoral, postdoctoral, research, and clinical fellows. Participating fellows had the opportunity not only to present their own work, but also to learn about ongoing research and serve as poster judges. Four individuals were recognized for their outstanding posters:

1. Sazzad Mahmood, Ph.D., Laboratory of Bacteriology
2. Jacob Pederson, Laboratory of Immune System Biology
3. Jil Haase, Ph.D., Laboratory of Virology
4. Clinton Bradfield, Ph.D., Laboratory of Immune System Biology

Throughout Day 1, fellows engaged in networking opportunities, identified potential collaborations, and familiarized themselves with ongoing NIAID research.

Day 2 Synopsis—Mastering Essential Skills for Scientific Success

The second day of the NIAID 18th Annual Fellows Workshop featured three professional development sessions focusing on grant writing, bibliometrics, and delivering a scientific talk. 

The day began with Dr. David Armstrong who shared the secrets to writing a winning grant. During his lecture, he emphasized the importance of pre-application planning and career gap analysis. He also discussed the peer review process, scoring, and key NIH resources. The talk was a condensed version of the 6-month NIAID Grant Writing Training and Mentoring Program, which I highly recommend to anyone planning to write a grant application.

Following a short break, Sara Hoover and Stacy Brody from the NIH Library gave a presentation on leveraging bibliometrics to demonstrate research productivity, impact, and collaboration. Their lecture focused on determining publication counts, citation metrics, h-index scores, and related statistics using databases such as Web of Science. To have a real-life example, we explored the bibliometric indicators of Dr. Anthony Fauci, whose scientific contributions are truly impressive and inspiring.

Rounding out the day, Melissa Marshall taught us how to present science effectively. According to her, the keys to success are knowing your audience, being focused, acting as an interpreter rather than merely a reporter, and preparing visual slides with clear take-away messages. By varying the pace of her speech and interacting with us by asking questions, maintaining eye contact, and cracking jokes, Melissa demonstrated what a captivating presentation should look like.

Overall, attending all three sessions was valuable, as they covered skills important for achieving success in science.

Interview with Portia Gough, Ph.D., Independent Research Scholar in the Host Microbe Symbiosis Unit at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Interviewed by Anastasia Coutlakis, Postbac Fellow, Molecular Parasitology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases (LPD)

The “Career Pathways—Explore the Possibilities” series highlights different professions pursued by scientists like you. This interview focuses on an independent researcher, someone who leads their own research projects, oversees securing funding, and manages a research team. Portia Gough, Ph.D., was a postdoc at NIAID for three years, where she worked in the Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology under the supervision of Ian A. Myles, M.D., M.P.H. Read this interview with Dr. Gough to learn more about her transition from a postdoc to an independent research position. 

Can you describe your current research?

I'm currently studying Roseomonas mucosa (R. mucosa), a skin commensal bacterium that was previously developed as a topical therapy for atopic dermatitis by Ian A. Myles, M.D., M.P.H., in the Laboratory of Clinical Immunology & Microbiology. My research is focused on how this commensal organism interacts with the skin and the signaling pathways activated, which could act as a guide for other therapeutics. Determining a mechanism by which commensals help our barrier sites maintain their integrity and how they help us with immune regulation could provide a “signature” for us to look for with other microbes that can help us regulate the immune system when it's overactive and causing issues like eczema or other atopic diseases. In future studies, I want to expand and take what I'm doing with R. mucosa to other organisms. I know the signaling that I'm looking for, and if other microbes exhibit this, that would be exciting to discover.

What is your favorite part of your job? What is the most challenging aspect?

I just love that I get to follow my intellectual curiosity in a way that serves humanity while learning about our health. Health is the foundation of everything that we do, and I’m so grateful to be in this position and humbled by it, honestly. Sometimes, I can't believe that I get to do work that I'm passionate about for a living. It's creative, and spending time thinking deeply about an aspect of the mechanisms of life—there's nothing like it.

Of course, there are always challenges. For me, I have so many ideas that it's hard to focus. My main challenge in my research is not getting so distracted with little side quests. Science being this creative process, those ideas can be meaningful, but the challenge is focusing in a way that leads to publication. I've taken up the habit of keeping good notes about my ideas, with a section of my notebook dedicated to ideas to round up later. It's also been a very new experience transitioning to a mentoring role. Although I'm used to working by myself, I’m improving slowly over time. I'm grateful to have the chance to learn, and I feel like I've experienced a lot of growth.

What values have you adopted to create an inclusive and productive lab culture? What is your approach to mentorship for your trainees and staff, and what are some lessons that you have learned from your own mentors?

Dr. Myles was a great example of a mentor. I wouldn't have even applied for the Independent Research Scholars program if not for his encouragement, let alone reapplying when my first application wasn’t selected. You can tell when a mentor genuinely cares about the people in their lab. Dr. Myles certainly demonstrated that by putting in the extra effort to meet with me more frequently when I was developing my project. I wouldn't have tried for it if I didn't have a mentor that gently pushed me.

Mentors being willing to put in that little bit of extra time with you and seeing your potential even when you don't is such a huge gift. That's what I want to do for anyone who works with me. That includes making sure people feel like their ideas are heard and creating an environment where people feel free to express their ideas.

What was your postdoctoral research at NIAID, and how did your postdoc prepare you for your next steps?

The NIH is such a unique place to do thesis research because all the resources available here are unlike anywhere else, including great training programs for grant applications. I actually started at the NIH and began working with Dr. Myles when I was a graduate student in the Graduate Partnership Program. I was working on staph and human neutrophils at the time and thought what he was doing was really interesting. My project focused on how a particular cytokine affected neutrophil responses to staph. In general, my approach to research is to focus on human cells as much as possible. After completing my doctorate, I went to the FDA for a bit for a postdoc and came back to the NIH once Dr. Myles started his own lab. He and I had worked together before, and I was fascinated by what he was doing with R. mucosa. It made me think more about commensals. I realized that I would love to apply the same tools that I used to study staph interactions with human cells to study a commensal bacterium. 

Outside of research, what activities did you participate in as a postdoc that equipped you for your current role? What advice would you give to current fellows?

I feel that it's beneficial for anyone in science to have interests outside of science. This affects the way that I think. I'm super interested in how culture affects how we think about things. In my free time, I interact with many people from all over, and I think that's really important for keeping your mind flexible and having broad interests. Of course, we have to focus when we're in the lab. But having broad interests, other experiences in life, and interacting with different people in various environments expands the scope of how you think when you're back in the lab. I also like to write in my free time—writing is such a good way to organize your thoughts and clarify your ideas. All these things together help me be successful in the lab. 

I especially believe that to be useful to society and to help with the very major problems facing humanity, it's not just about being in the lab. It's about getting out into the world and broadening your horizons so that you're able to be more effective in your work. To other fellows, I would say: be curious not just about your project but about the world and about people. Culture affects science so much, not just the kinds of questions we ask as scientists.

By Susannah Goodman, M.A.

As we mark the 37^th anniversary of World AIDS Day, the NIAID Office of Research Training & Development is recognizing the 2024 NIH Intramural AIDS Research Fellowship (IARF) NIAID awardees: Sandra Mon, M.S.P.H., Mamta Singh, Ph.D., and Kenneth Ssebambulidde, MBChB, M.Sc. Designed to promote cross-disciplinary HIV and AIDS research at NIH, this competitive fellowship recruits predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers from diverse scientific backgrounds in the NIH Intramural Research Program to tackle the complex challenges posed by HIV and AIDS.

This year’s IARF cohort is comprised of 10 fellows from four different NIH Institutes, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of HIV/AIDS research and the broad range of expertise that contributes to the global fight against the virus. Among this group of exceptional researchers in the IARF cohort, this year’s NIAID awardees are engaged in innovative work across a spectrum of research areas, from infectious disease epidemiology and vaccine development to mycology.

Meet the 2024 NIAID IARF Awardees

Sandra Mon, M.S.P.H. – Laboratory of Immunoregulation

Sandra Mon, M.S.P.H., is a graduate student in the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program. She is completing her Ph.D. research in the Nuffield Department of Medicine at the University of Oxford and in the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation. Ms. Mon is working on a Bayesian modeling study of HIV transmission in Ugandan couples through a dyadic and socioecological lens. By combining population-based epidemiologic data with a Bayesian proportional hazards modeling framework, she seeks to determine the longitudinal dynamics of within- vs. extra-couple HIV transmission in stable couples over three periods of antiretroviral therapy (ART) scale-up: pre-ART, initial ART rollout, and universal test and treat. 

When reflecting on her motivations for applying to the IARF, Ms. Mon shared, "I was excited by the aims of the IARF program, which felt inherently structured for ‘chimeric’ researchers like me who enjoy blending elements from different fields to solve a problem.” Overall, the application provided a unique opportunity to highlight her project’s innovations within NIH’s HIV research agenda and to contextualize her work for a wide-ranging HIV research audience.

Mamta Singh, Ph.D. – Laboratory of Immunoregulation

Mamta Singh, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in the Laboratory of Immunoregulation, aims to evaluate mucosal immunization strategies for optimization of mRNA vaccines against HIV-1. Her work’s current findings signify that intramuscular (i.m.) mRNA vaccines generate a strong systemic immune response and a weaker mucosal response, which needs to be improved. Consequently, Dr. Singh asserts that the most efficient platform for translating an HIV vaccine for human use could be a multi-platform vaccine that incorporates mRNA priming and early boosting (i.m.) with poxvirus vectors for final boosting (intra-dermal or intra-rectal).

"I was extremely motivated to apply for the Intramural AIDS Research Fellowship because it was a great opportunity to consolidate and further expand my experience in the field of HIV research,” said Dr. Singh. Ultimately, she aspires to become an independent scientist in the field of HIV-1 vaccine immunology. Dr. Singh believes the IARF award will significantly enhance her career by fostering her independence and supporting her research to attain her scientific goals.

Kenneth Ssebambulidde, MBChB, M.Sc. – Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology

Kenneth Ssebambulidde, MBChB, M.Sc., is a postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology. His research focuses on cryptococcal disease progression, tracing its course from asymptomatic cryptococcal antigenemia through neurologic symptomatic cryptococcal antigenemia to overt cryptococcal meningitis. Inspired by the work of previous IARF recipients, Dr. Ssebambulidde devised a project related to HIV-associated cryptococcal disease, an opportunistic infection that can be fatal if left untreated.

"The IARF program will enable my capacity development as far as using single-cell RNA sequencing techniques to study immune responses," said Dr. Ssebambulidde. “This will build my skillset preparing me to transition to an independent investigator.”

Pictured from left to right: Sandra Mon, M.S.P.H., Mamta Singh, Ph.D., and Kenneth Ssebambulidde, MBChB, M.Sc.

Credit: NIAID

NIAID 2024 Intramural AIDS Research Fellows

Sandra Mon, M.S.P.H.

International HIV/STD Section, Laboratory of Immunoregulation, DIR
Mentor: Steven Reynolds, M.D., M.P.H., F.R.C.P. (C)   
Project Title: Uncovering HIV Transmission Dynamics among Couples for U=U in Uganda: a Bayesian Phylodynamics Approach

Mamta Singh, Ph.D. 

Viral Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Immunoregulation, DIR
Mentor: Paolo Lusso, M.D., Ph.D.
Project Title: Evaluation of Different Mucosal Boosting Strategies for Optimization of mRNA Vaccines Against HIV-1

Kenneth Ssebambulidde, MBChB, M.Sc. 

Translation Mycology Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology
Mentor: Peter Williamson, M.D., Ph.D. 
Project Title: Using RNA Sequencing to Characterize Differential Gene Expression During Cryptococcal Disease Progression